VATICAN CITY (AP) — Two weeks after surgery that removed a portion of his colon, Pope Francis on Sunday resumed his weekly appearances from a Vatican window to bless the faithful in St. Peter’s Square.
Francis, 84, sounded cheerful but somewhat winded at one point while speaking for 14 minutes.
Exactly a week earlier, Francis had delivered the blessing from a hospital balcony and expressed deep gratitude to all medical staff caring for him. The pontiff underwent bowel surgery on July 4 to remove a portion of his colon after intestinal narrowing.
While not mentioning his own ongoing convalescence, Francis in his remarks stressed the value of taking a break. He recommended “rest, contemplation and compassion. Let’s take advantage of summertime for this.”
After giving his blessing, Francis cited some somber current events. He expressed closeness to those suffering flooding, which claimed at least 180 lives, in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. He also lamented violence in South Africa, stressing South Africans’ desire for harmony. The pope cited unrest in Cuba, expressing a prayer so that Cubans have a “more just and fraternal society.”
Toward the end of his remarks from a window of the Apostolic Palace, adlibbing at times and after interrupting himself once to cough, Francis sounded a bit winded. But he ended with a strong, cheery invitation to the crowd as he always does to “have a good lunch” and to pray for him.
The crowd of several hundred clapped loudly. Some held national flags and at least one homemade banner, with a red heart and “I Love You” in Italian written on it.
After 10 days in the major Catholic hospital in Rome, Francis returned to his home in Vatican City on July 14.
Except for the Sunday noon appointment to offer his blessing to faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square, the pontiff has no other public appearances scheduled for the rest of July. Even before his surgery was announced, the Vatican had said that his weekly general audiences on Wednesdays wouldn’t take place during July. That’s in keeping with past years of his papacy, which allow him a bit of a summer break.
Hours before heading to the hospital for surgery, Francis announced that he would visit Hungary and Slovakia in mid-September.
