Pope Francis plans to make his first public appearance since he was hospitalized more than a month ago on Sunday, greeting the public from the hospital where he’s being treated for double pneumonia.

The 88-year-old pontiff plans to offer a blessing and greeting to well-wishers from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital at the end of Sunday’s Angelus prayer, the Vatican press office said.

Francis has been in hospital since February 14 and Sunday will be the 38th day since he was admitted.

The pope usually leads the Angelus prayer and offers a reflection each week, but has not done so for the past five Sundays. The Vatican said the written text of the pope’s remarks will be released as has been done previously.

Francis’ current hospitalization has been his longest stay in Gemelli since his election as pope 12 years ago. While he has not been seen in five weeks, his presence has been felt with the Vatican releasing a short audio message from the pope as well as a photo last weekend showing him praying at that hospital’s chapel.

The Vatican said on Wednesday that the pontiff’s condition appeared to be improving, adding that his pneumonia is considered under control. He no longer requires assisted breathing but has been continuing to receive oxygen.

Last week, the pope approved a new three-year reform process for the Catholic Church, sending a strong signal he intends to remain in the post despite his lengthy stint in hospital.

Reforms on the table include how to give greater roles to women in the Catholic Church, including ordaining them as deacons, and the greater inclusion of non-clergy members in governance and decision making.

While the latest medical updates from the Vatican have spoken of improvement, it has not released any details on when the pontiff might be released from hospital and it is not yet clear if he will be out in time for Holy Week and Easter.

Russia and Ukraine traded blame on Friday over an attack on a gas metering station that lies in Russia’s Kursk region, just a few hundred meters from their shared border.

The attack on the facility in Sudzha comes just days after the US proposed both sides pause attacks on energy infrastructure.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed Kyiv had “deliberately attacked” the station, which has been under Ukrainian control since Ukraine launched a surprise incursion into Kursk in August 2024.

Moscow claims Ukrainian forces blew up the facility while “retreating from the Kursk region” with the aim of “discrediting the US president’s peace initiatives.”

Kyiv has described those accusations as “groundless” and claimed they are aimed at discrediting Ukraine and misleading the international community.

“Indeed, the station has been repeatedly shelled by the Russians themselves,” Ukraine’s General Staff said in a Telegram post on Friday.

According to the Ukrainian military, Russia struck the same station with missiles as recently as three days ago.

“The attempts by the Russians to deceive everyone and pretend that they are adhering to the ceasefire will not work, (neither) will the fake news about the strikes on the gas station,” Ukraine’s Presidential Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak posted on X Friday.

The Sudzha gas metering station was the last route through which Russian natural gas was delivered to Europe through Ukraine. Natural gas transportation through Sudzha was terminated on the morning of January 1, 2025, after Kyiv refused to renew the contract.

The attack on the station comes more than a week after the announcement by Russian forces that they had recaptured Sudzha, the largest town that Ukraine has occupied during its incursion into Kursk. Ukraine’s occupation of parts of Kursk is seen as its sole territorial bargaining chip amid pressure to negotiate an end to the war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to temporarily halt attacks on energy targets in Ukraine after a lengthy telephone call with President Donald Trump on Tuesday, though he stopped short of signing off on a broader ceasefire to end the three-year-long conflict in Ukraine.

On Wednesday Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would support a pause on striking energy targets after his phone call with Trump.