Vatican
Vatican: Pope on the mend after surgery
According to the Vatican, Pope Francis also phoned a woman whose young son, Miguel Angel, he had baptized at the end of March. photo
© Andrew Medichini/AP/dpa
Pope Francis had to undergo a serious operation under general anesthesia. The operation had become necessary because of a so-called laparocele, a scar hernia in the area of the intestine.
Pope Francis is on the mend after open abdominal surgery. The head of the Catholic Church survived last night well and continued to rest, said the spokesman for the Holy See, Matteo Bruni, on Friday afternoon. The 86-year-old Argentinian read the newspapers after breakfast and gradually went back to work. He also spent the morning in an armchair to mobilize.
Because of a so-called laparocele, a hernia in the intestine, the pontiff had to be operated on Wednesday in the Roman Gemelli Clinic. According to the surgeon in charge, he survived the three-hour operation under general anesthesia well and “without complications”. Two days after the operation, the medical team at the hospital reported that Francis’ condition was improving and that the postoperative course was normal, the Holy See said.
The pontiff is still fever-free and receives liquid food, the Holy See said on Friday evening. He prayed in the afternoon and later received the Eucharist. The Vatican had previously announced that the general health of the pontiff was good. His values are stable.
In the evening, the pontiff also spoke on Twitter. “I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the prayers and the many messages of closeness and affection that have reached me these days,” it said in a tweet. He asked to continue praying for him. He also thanked the health workers and chaplains.