Pope Francis “reacted well” after undergoing surgery to treat symptomatic colonic diverticulum stenosis at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome.
Sunday night, He underwent a three-hour operation performed by a 10-person surgical team, including Dr. Sergio Alfieri and his personal physician, Dr. Roberto Bernabei. The left colectomy removed one side of Pope Francis’ colon.
The Vatican later revealed Pope Francis was “well, alert and breathing spontaneously” after receiving a general anesthesia operation.
Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said that the 84-year-old is expected to be hospitalized for 7 days “unless complications occur.”
Symptomatic colonic diverticulum stenosis is a cyst-like protrusion that passes through the muscle layer of the colon, causing the colon to narrow.
This condition can cause inflammation, pain and cause difficulty in defecation. However, this is not the only health problem of the Pope.
This religious figure suffers from sciatica, which causes pain in the back and legs. This situation caused him to miss appointments in the past. Before that, Francis His lungs were removed more than 60 years ago due to complications of tuberculosis.
Although Pope Francis did not publicly discuss his surgery plan in his weekly blessing on June 27, he did ask for prayers. “Pray in a special way: the pope needs your prayers,” he said at the time.
Surgery marks the first time Francis He has been hospitalized since he was elected leader of the Catholic Church in 2013.
Photo: AFP/Filippo MONTEFORTE
