Pope Francis makes first appearance since intestinal surgery

Pope Francis appears with a young patient on a balcony of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome (Alessandra Tarantino/AP)

Pope Francis has made his first public appearance since surgery last week, greeting well-wishers as he stood on a hospital balcony.

Francis, 84, has been steadily on the mend, according to the Vatican, following his July 4 scheduled surgery to remove a portion of his large intestine.