Pope Francis has made his first public appearance since he was hospitalised over five weeks ago.
The head of the Catholic Church greeted his supporters from a window, waving to crowds in Italy and offering a blessing to his well-wishers gathered below.
It is currently not known what the pontiff told the eager crowds since the mic handed to him was not working - although people could make out that he thanked one woman holding a bunch of yellow flowers.
He could also been seen waving and making the sign of the cross before he was helped back into the hospital room.
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The area around the entrance of the hospital in Rome was busy with people earlier this morning, while more people congregated in St Peter's Square at the Vatican where they can see the Pope speak on giant TV screens.
Later, a Fiat carrying Pope Francis departed the hospital just after midday local time and was followed by a convoy of police vehicles through the centre of Rome.
The Vatican has confirmed that the Pope has remained in a stable condition for the past two weeks.
Officials at Gemelli Hospital, where the 88-year-old was being treated, reported that he was diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia.
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As a result, it is expected that the pontiff will leave the facility and make his return to the Vatican after he addressed crowds outside the hospital.
The Pope's personal doctor Luigi Carbone told France24: "For three or four days he’s been asking when he can go home, so he’s very happy."
His hospital discharge would mark just over five weeks since he was hospitalised on February 14.
The Vatican has announced that the 88-year-old pontiff will return to his residence, as doctors have recommended "at least two months" of recovery time.
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It has been claimed that the Pope will need to "relearn to speak" after using oxygen while he stayed at the hospital.
"The Pope is doing very well, but high-flow oxygen dries everything out," Cardinal Victor Fernandez, the Vatican's chief doctrine official said.
"He needs to learn how to speak, but his overall physical condition is as it was before," he added.
Others close to the Bishop of Rome said that he was "recovering well" and was in "good humour" on the Friday before he was discharged on Sunday.
