Pope Francis will delight Catholics around the world during Easter celebrations at the Vatican.
The 88-year-old pontiff is recovering after leaving hospital on March 23 and spending 38 days being treated for pneumonia.
He is expected to pronounce the "Urbi et Orbi" blessing from the balcony overlooking St Peter's Square at an announcement during the most important Christian feast.
The Holy See's press office made it clear that Pope Francis is likely to attend the Easter events, but without confirming his participation, clarifying that it depends on his state of health.
His voice remains weak despite improvements in his breathing, thanks to which Francis has appeared twice in public in the last week without the nasal cannula through which he received oxygen.
He may have delegated the reading of his Easter text - in which he usually reflects on the conflicts and crises of the world - to someone else.
For the first time since his election in 2013, the spiritual leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics missed most of the Holy Week events, such as the Stations of the Cross in the Coliseum and the Easter Vigil in St Peter's Basilica. | BGNES, AFP