Pope Francis leaves hospital after 5-week hospital stay

Pope Francis waved to hundreds of people gathered outside Rome's Gemelli hospital on Sunday as the pontiff left the hospital after surviving a life-threatening bout of pneumonia.

In his first public appearance in five weeks, he 88-year-old pope said "Thank you, everyone," as he gave a thumbs up and acknowledged the crowd after he was wheeled out onto a hospital balcony overlooking the main entry of the building.

Chants of "Viva il papa!" and "Papa Francesco" erupted from the crowd.