Pope Francis leads prayers from hospital balcony after surgery

It is not yet known when Pope Francis will be discharged after he had surgery to remove a portion of his colon

Pope Francis gives the traditional Sunday blessing and Angelus prayer from a hospital balcony (AP)

Pope Francis has made his first public appearance since having surgery a week ago by leading a prayer from a hospital balcony.

The 84-year-old pontiff stood on the balcony for 10 minutes to offer his weekly noon-time blessings to his well-wishers.

At the previous week’s Angelus prayers, he had given no suggestion that he would have entered hospital later that day for colon surgery.

The Pope was having a portion of his large intestine removed, after it was found that his colon had severely narrowed.

Noon on Sundays is when he usually leads a prayer while overlooking St Peter’s Square from a window at the Vatican.

But this time he appeared on the balcony of his special suite reserved for popes at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, a major Catholic teaching hospital in Rome, while his well-wishers below clapped in encouragement.

The Pope said: “I am happy to be able to keep the Sunday appointment. I thank everyone. I very much felt your closeness and the support of your prayers.”

Also standing on the balcony were a few children who are also patients at the hospital.

Pope Francis described his hospital admission as an opportunity to understand “how important a good health service is, accessible to all, as it is in Italy and other countries”.

Although he stayed at a non-public hospital, which is one of the largest private hospitals in Europe, Italy has a national public health service and residents can often receive treatment at private hospitals, with the costs reimbursed by the government.

“We mustn’t lose this precious thing,” he said, adding his appreciation and encouragement for all workers in the healthcare sector.

A statue of Pope Francis at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, one of the biggest private hospitals in Europe (AP)

The pope also spoke of current events and of issues. He prayed that the people of Haiti could “start going down a path of peace and harmony” as he recalled the assassination last week of its president Jovenel Moise and the wounding of the first lady Martine Moise.

He also urged people to look after “the health of seas and oceans” and warned them against plastic being left in the sea.

The pope also voiced hope that “Europe may be united in its founding values” – which could refer to tensions between European Union leaders and Hungary over the member country passing a law to ban LGBT content for children in schools and the media.

It is not said when he will be discharged, but it is reported that he is on the mend after the surgery on his large intenstine.

On the morning after his surgery, a Holy See spokesperson said his hospital stay was expected to last seven days, “barring complications”.

The Vatican’s daily medical update said on Friday that Pope Francis’ temperature returned to normal following a slight fever he ran on Wednesday evening. It said his treatment and recovery were proceeding as planned.

His predecessor John Paul II had also delivered the Angelus prayer and greeting from his suite during his occasional stays at the hospital.