• 
  (Photo: AP Images / Nell Redmond)
  In this Dec. 20, 2010 file photo, evangelist Billy Graham, 92, is interviewed at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association headquarters in Charlotte, N.C.

Billy Graham has returned to his home in Montreat, N.C., after being treated for pneumonia at a hospital.

The 92-year-old evangelist was admitted to Mission Hospital in nearby Asheville last Wednesday after having difficulty breathing.

His physician, Dr. Lucian Rice, said he was delighted with the pace of Graham’s recovery.

“He has responded very well to treatment, with progressive improvement since his admission. We expect continuing recuperation at home with very gradual recovery, returning to normal activities over several weeks.

“I’m delighted that he has come back this fast.”

He said it was an “encouraging sign” that Graham had not experienced any complications in his recovery.

Order Online: The Journey: How to Live by Faith in an Uncertain World

Graham’s spokesperson, A. Larry Ross, said the evangelist had continued with his normal routine while hospitalized, holding his weekly Bible study and prayer with his pastor, Dr. Don Wilton, on Thursday as normal.

Graham thanked staff at Mission Hospital for their care after being released Sunday.

“I am grateful for this wonderful hospital so close to my home. The physicians and staff have shown such skill and compassionate care,” he said.

“I am deeply touched by the prayers and best wishes of so many people for me, and I look forward to returning home and resuming my normal activities soon.”

Graham is one of the world’s best known evangelists and has met or ministered to every single U.S. president since 1950.

He has reached more than 2 billion people with the message of the Gospel through crusades and radio and TV broadcasts.

He is now retired and spends most of his time at his mountain home. His son, Franklin Graham, has followed in his footsteps, conducting evangelistic crusades attended by tens of thousands of people, and running the ministry founded by his father, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.