Pope Francis in ‘good general conditions’ after surgery

By Giada Zampano

ROME (AA) - Pope Francis was in “good general conditions” Thursday, alert and breathing on his own a day after undergoing a three-hour operation needed to repair a hernia in his abdominal wall and remove intestinal tissue, the Vatican said in a statement.

The 86-year-old pontiff spent a night at Rome’s Gemelli hospital and will observe the “necessary post-operative rest” for the entire day, the statement said.

“The pope is informed of the messages of closeness and affection that have come in the last few hours and expresses his gratitude while asking to continue to pray for him,” it added.

The pope is expected to remain hospitalized for several days, after the Vatican suspended all his private and general audiences until June 18.

He underwent surgery on his abdomen on Wednesday to remove a hernia that stemmed from previous intestinal surgery and emerged from the operation with "no complications,” doctors said, adding they did not find other pathologies.

The papal team decided recently that a new surgery was necessary to treat a hernia that presumably originated from earlier procedures. The pope had already undergone another intestinal surgery at Gemelli in July 2021, when he had part of his colon removed.

In late March, he was rushed to the same hospital as he started to feel pain in his chest and was diagnosed with bronchitis, being treated for three days in intensive care.

Francis was put under general anesthesia for a "laparotomy and abdominal wall plastic surgery with prosthesis" that treated a "recurrent, painful and worsening" constriction of the intestine, informed the doctors.

The latest surgery comes after a string of serious health issues that Francis has faced. The pontiff had a part of his lung removed when he was young and has been using a wheelchair or a cane for more than a year because of strained ligaments in his knee.

His frail health conditions have raised worries on whether he is fit to lead the Catholic Church in turbulent times. The pope himself signaled in past interviews that he would consider a possible resignation should his health worsen over time.