Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

2 weeks post-surgery, Pope Francis appears at Vatican window

Pope Francis has resumed his traditional Sunday appearance from a Vatican window to greet the faithful two weeks after intestinal surgery that removed a portion of his colon

Via AP news wire
Sunday 18 July 2021 11:08 BST
APTOPIX Vatican Pope Surgery
APTOPIX Vatican Pope Surgery

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Two weeks after surgery that removed a portion of his colon, Pope Francis has resumed his traditional Sunday appearance from a Vatican window to greet the faithful.

Exactly a week earlier, Francis had delivered the blessing from a hospital balcony. The pontiff underwent bowel surgery on July 4 to remove a portion of his colon after intestinal narrowing.

The public waved national flags and cheered in anticipation of the pope’s appearance this Sunday.

“Dear brothers and sisters, good day!” Francis said and smiled at the crowd below in St. Peter's Square

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, in keeping with past years of his papacy, which allow him a bit of a summer break.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in