Pope resumes public audiences a month after major surgery

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis resumed his routine of holding weekly audiences with the general public a month after he underwent bowel surgery.

Francis walked unaided to the center of the stage in a Vatican auditorium on Wednesday and addressed several hundred pilgrims and tourists.

“When it comes to the Gospel and to the mission to evangelize, Paul is enthusiastic,” Pope Francis is quoted to saying in the Vatican News.

During the appearance, he recalled the anniversary of the Beirut port explosion and expressed the desire to someday visit Lebanon.

The pope was hospitalized last month for an operation in which a section of his colon was removed.

The hospitalization didn't interfere with his general audience schedule because the weekly events have been suspended in July during his papacy to give the pontiff some respite from Rome’s hot summers.