The 88-year-old pope gave a thumbs up and acknowledged the crowd after he was wheeled out onto the balcony overlooking the main entry of Rome’s Gemelli hospital, where hundreds of people had gathered on a brilliant Sunday morning.

Pope Francis on March 23 appeared in public for the first time in five weeks since his hospitalization began on Feb. 14.

After a brief appearance on the hospital balcony, Francis was discharged and could be seen waving from the back of a car as he left Gemelli Hospital for the first time in five weeks.