Pope Francis “has reacted well” to a scheduled surgery for an intestinal condition, according to the director of the Holy See Press Office.
Matteo Bruni said the surgery was conducted under general anaesthesia and concluded on Sunday evening. “The Holy Father, hospitalised in the afternoon at the Gemelli University Hospital, underwent the planned surgical operation for diverticular stenosis of the sigmoid colon in the evening.”
Professor Sergio Alfieri performed the operation, with the assistance of Professor Luigi Sofo, Dr Antonio Tortorelli, and Dr Roberta Menghi, Mr Bruni said in his statement. Professor Massimo Antonelli, Professor Liliana Sollazzi, and Doctors Roberto De Cicco and Maurizio Soave administered the anaesthesia. Professors Giovanni Battista Doglietto and Roberto Bernabei were also present in the operating room.
Earlier on Sunday, Pope Francis led the recitation of the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St Peter’s Square. The Holy See announced the medical intervention in the afternoon.
Among the many messages offering prayers and best wishes for the Pope’s recovery was a message from the President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, who said, “The affectionate thoughts of all Italians, of whom I make myself the interpreter by joining my own, accompany Your Holiness in these hours, together with the most cordial wishes for a good convalescence and an even better and prompt recovery.”
Pope Francis has suffered other health issues in the past year, including a recurrent case of sciatica that prompted him to cancel several planned events at the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021.
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