ROME: Pope Francis on Friday made his first public appearance outdoors since being stricken by bronchitis two weeks ago, which forced him to cancel a planned trip to the COP28 climate conference in Dubai.

The pope has been steadily recovering, and for the December 8 holiday dedicated to the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary kept a traditional appointment to pray at the Spanish Steps. He arrived in a black car, and blessed a crowd of onlookers before taking a seat in a chair facing a statue of the Madonna.

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