People gathered outside the hospital where Pope Francis made his first public appearance in 38 days and expressed joy at his return to the Vatican on Sunday. The 88-year-old pope greeted the hundreds of faithful cheering and waving to him with a very faint voice, thanking the crowd and pointing out a woman holding yellow flowers. Although the Pope appeared weak, the crowd was encouraged after seeing him. “I was so, so happy. It has been a long wait. We have been praying, right from the point when I heard that he was sick,” said Binigi Machrine, from Uganda. The Pope was on the balcony for under two minutes, but it was enough for some to sense his joy for life and will to fight. “He always has a sense of youth, also a sense of joy, a sense of spirit but I think he is truly, not only a good leader in terms of faith but also in terms of character and morals, always a sense of joy,” said Simon Nguyen, from Los Angeles. “You can see the smile on my face. I am very excited to see him smile,” he added. "We came the first time when the news had first come out and we thought it was the end, but it has really brought joy to my heart, to see the Pope get through all this. He is a really good fighter,” said another of the faithful. Francis returned home to the Vatican from the hospital after surviving a five-week, life-threatening bout of pneumonia. During the trip home from the Gemelli hospital, Francis took a slight detour to bring him to the St. Mary Major basilica, where his favorite icon of the Madonna is located and where he always goes to pray after a foreign visit. But it wasn’t clear if he got out of the car, a white Fiat 500. The Argentine pope, who has chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, was admitted to Gemelli on Feb. 14 after a bout of bronchitis worsened. Doctors later diagnosed a complex bacterial, viral and fungal respiratory tract infection and soon thereafter, pneumonia in both lungs. His 38-day stay was the longest of his 12-year papacy and the second longest in recent papal history, and had raised the prospect of a papal resignation or funeral. AP video shot by Paolo Lucariello and Luigi Navarra Production: Trisha Thomas