Pilgrims and well-wishers gathered at Rome’s Gemelli hospital to greet Pope Francis as he made his first public appearance in a week after undergoing intestinal surgery.
Appearing on the 10th floor balcony of his suite of rooms at the hospital July 11, the Pope was greeted with applause and shouts of Viva il Papa (Long live the Pope) from the crowd that stood under the scorching midday sun to see him.
“I thank you all,” the Pope said. “I have felt your closeness and the support of your prayers. Thank you very much.”
Pope Francis arrived at Gemelli hospital July 4 to undergo “a scheduled surgical intervention for a symptomatic diverticular stenosis of the colon”, the Vatican said. The Pope has recovered steadily from his surgery and resumed working from the hospital.
In his address, the Pope reflected on the Sunday Gospel reading from St Mark, in which Jesus sent out his disciples to anoint the sick with oil and heal them. The oil, he said, not only represents the comfort given through the sacramental anointing of the sick, but also symbolises “the closeness, the care, the tenderness of those who take care of the sick person.
“It is like a caress that makes you feel better, soothes your pain and cheers you up. All of us, everyone, sooner or later, we all need this ‘anointing’ of closeness and tenderness, and we can all give it to someone else, with a visit, a phone call, a hand outstretched to someone who needs help,” he said.