Pope Francis gave a general audience
in the Vatican on Wednesday, his first since undergoing
abdominal surgery to repair a hernia earlier this month.
He last appeared before crowds in St Peter's Square on June 7,
before heading straight to Rome's Gemelli hospital for the
operation.
Francis thanked the faithful for their presence despite the
heat.
"Today we have to be a little patient with this heat and thank
you for coming in this heat, in this sunshine, thank you," the
Pope said.
He went on to denounce the injustice of poverty, with money
being spent "on arms and not on meals".
The poor are at the center because "they are the ones who draw
attention to this great injustice that is the poverty of the
world," said the pope.
Francis also urged the faithful to continue to pray for "the
dear people of Ukraine, that they might soon find peace again".
"There is so much suffering in Ukraine, let us not forget this,"
he said.
Francis was discharged from hospital on June 16 and the Vatican
confirmed his subsequent private audiences and the Angelus
prayer and blessing on June 18, but said the general audience of
June 21 had been cancelled "to safeguard the Holy Father's
post-operative recovery".
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