Pope Francis makes in-person appearance at St. Peter's Square to open Holy Week

A convalescing Pope Francis made a surprise in-person appearance when he greeted the crowd in St. Peter's Square on Palm Sunday, another reassuring sign of his recovery from a life-threatening battle with double pneumonia.

The 88-year-old pontiff was brought in a wheelchair down a ramp to the main altar, where he issued a brief greeting wishing more than 20,000 faithful a "Good Palm Sunday, a good Holy Week." Francis was not wearing nasal tubes for supplemental oxygen, as he had during a similar appearance last Sunday.

On his way back to St. Peter's Basilica from where he had emerged, Francis blessed a rosary and offered candy to a boy who greeted him.