For a pope known for unexpected gestures, Francis’ brief swing through St. Peter’s Basilica on Thursday might be the most audacious yet — at least in his attire.
“Pope with a poncho, revolution in a photo,” read the caption of the photograph on the front page of the Rome daily newspaper Il Messaggero, showing Francis dressed in civilian clothes — a long-sleeved white T-shirt and dark slacks with a striped garment draped over his chest.
It was the first time in 12 years as pope that Francis had been seen in public without his white cassock and skullcap, known as a zucchetto.
Another Italian newspaper, Il Giornale, took a more solemn approach: “The pope puts his suffering on show” read the front page headline Friday of a photo that showed Francis in a wheelchair, with cannulas for oxygen in his nostrils.
The 88-year-old pope was hospitalized for five weeks in February and March for serious respiratory conditions, including pneumonia in both lungs, and is still recovering.
Francis made the surprise appearance in St. Peter’s after noon on Thursday, smiling, waving and clasping hands with people, as he was wheeled by his trusted nurse and accompanied by security guards. On Friday, the Vatican press office said that Francis had been undergoing physical therapy in the Vatican guesthouse where he lives and decided to go into the basilica to pray.
“He is clearly improving, that you have been able to note from the outings of recent days,” a Vatican spokesman said on Friday.
Earlier this week, the pope made a surprise appearance at a Mass in St. Peter’s Square and met privately with King Charles III and Queen Camilla of Britain, who were paying a visit previously postponed by the pope’s illness.
When Francis was discharged from a Rome hospital on March 23, his doctors instructed him to rest for at least two months. They cautioned him to steer clear of children, who can be carriers of respiratory diseases, but in one video posted online, Francis shook hands with a young boy and in another he caressed a baby.
But it was the pope’s attire Thursday that drew the most attention. There was considerable discussion among Vatican watchers about whether the striped cloth he wore to keep warm was a poncho, or just a blanket folded over him.
Inside St. Peter’s, Francis stopped to say hello to two restorers putting the final touches on the restoration of the 17th-century tomb and monument of Pope Urban VIII, by the Baroque master Bernini, which was presented to the media on Friday.
“It was just us, the pope, and the people with him, so it was an extraordinary thing, unique,” said Michela Malfanti, one of the restorers. “He wanted to shake our hands, and mine was very cold and I was afraid to give it to him, but he was very warm, and kind and he asked me to give it to him in any case.”
