Pope Francis makes first appearance since intestinal surgery

Pope Francis has made his first public appearance since surgery a week earlier, greeting well-wishers as he stood on a hospital balcony

ROME -- Pope Francis on Sunday made his first public appearance since surgery last week, greeting well-wishers as he stood on a hospital balcony. Francis, 84, has been steadily on the mend, according to the Vatican, following his July 4 scheduled surgery to remove a portion of his large intestine. On Sunday, his voice sounded a bit weak as he greeted a small crowd outside Gemelli Polyclinic at noon. That is the hour when traditionally he would have appeared from a window at the Vatican overlooking St. Peter’s Square. Francis said he “very much felt your closeness and the support of your prayers.”