Pope Francis appeared in public for the first time since the planned operation on Sunday. According to those present, he seemed in generally good shape when he went out on the balcony of the Gemelli Clinic in Rome and offered a regular Sunday prayer, which was heard by hundreds of people. Last Sunday, the eighty-four-year-old pope was removed from a large intestine by doctors.
The whole pope the performance lasted about 10 minutes, during which he read from the prepared notes, to which he added several improvised comments. According to a Reuters correspondent, he seemed to be running out of breath at times, while the AP reported that the pontifex had a weak voice. František lost part of his lungs at a young age, when he was still working in his native Argentina.
Hundreds of onlookers shouted “Long live the Pope!”, And František’s performance was watched from other balconies of the clinic by some doctors and patients. Several children appeared at the pope’s side, who were also recovering in the hospital.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” said the pope, who described his hospitalization as an opportunity to understand “the importance of good health care that is accessible to all, as it is in Italy and other countries.” “We must not lose this precious thing,” the pope said, appreciating the work of all the doctors, nurses and other hospital staff present.
Francis was hospitalized for the first time since 2013, when he was elected head of the Catholic Church. For the first time since joining the Vatican, he also did not offer Sunday prayers from the balcony on St. Peter’s Square, except during his travels abroad.
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