Pope Francis appears with a young patient on a balcony of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome (Alessandra Tarantino/AP)Pope Francis has made his first public appearance since surgery last week, greeting well-wishers as he stood for 10 minutes on a hospital balcony. Francis, 84, has been steadily on the mend, according to the Vatican, since his July 4 scheduled surgery to remove a portion of his large intestine. On the morning after his surgery, a Holy See spokesperson said his hospital stay was expected to last seven days, “barring complications”. Expand Close Pope Francis on the balcony (Alessandra Tarantino/AP) / FacebookTwitterEmailWhatsapp Pope Francis on the balcony (Alessandra Tarantino/AP)At first the pontiff’s voice sounded on the weak side as he began his remarks after stepping on to a balcony outside his special suite at the Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome at noon (1000 GMT). “I am happy to be able to keep the Sunday appointment,” this time at the hospital, the pope said.

Source: Irish Independent July 11, 2021 10:29 UTC