Recovering Pope delights crowd in Vatican square

Pope Francis delighted pilgrims with an impromptu tour of St Peter's Square, against doctors' advice to avoid crowds while recovering from pneumonia.
For the second Sunday in a row after the longest hospital stay during his papal term, the 88-year-old pontiff left his Vatican chambers handing out candy to children and shaking hands with them as he made a tour of the Vatican landmark.
As he sat in his wheelchair, the Argentine looked in pretty good shape without the nasal cannula - a plastic tube inserted into the nostril - used to help him breathe during his recovery.
Since being discharged from hospital, the Pope has been out on several occasions despite doctors urging him to rest, with surprise visits not on the Vatican's official schedule, AFP reported.
On April 10, he made an unscheduled visit to St Peter's Basilica to inspect renovations and visit the tomb of Pius X, and on April 12 he went to pray at his favourite basilica, Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.
And after his originally planned meeting with King Charles III was cancelled due to his failing health, Francis received the British monarch and Charles' second wife, Queen Camilla, privately on 9 April.
However, the extent of his participation in next week's Easter celebrations - the holiest period of the Christian calendar - has not yet been confirmed by the Holy See.
In his Sunday Angelus prayer, published by the Vatican, the pontiff thanked the congregation for its prayers and made his usual appeal for peace in the world. | BGNES