Surprise visit from the recovering Pope to the Santa Maria Maggiore basilica.

The Pope went to the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica on Saturday afternoon to pray.

Pope Francis, who was discharged from the hospital a few days ago after staying for about a month due to pneumonia, continues to make surprise appearances. As confirmed by Vatican sources, the spiritual leader of Catholics stopped to pray in front of the statue of the Virgin Salus Populi Romani at the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome early Saturday afternoon. In previous surprise events, Pope Francis visited St. Peter's Basilica on Thursday to check the progress of the restoration of two tomb monuments belonging to Pope Paul III and Pope Urban VIII. Before moving to the tomb of Pope Pius X, where he prayed, the Pope, instead of his usual white suit, wore pants and a poncho and met with two restorers present in the area to make final touches, personally thanking them. The Pope is in a recovery period after a long stay at the Gemelli hospital due to bilateral pneumonia. On Wednesday, he met with the British royal family visiting Rome and appeared on stage at the end of a service held in St. Peter's Square for the sick and the healthcare world the previous Sunday.