Pope Francis had a second restful night at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, recovering from bowel surgery he underwent Wednesday, the Vatican’s press office said Friday.
The Vatican said Francis’s condition is stable and post-operative recovery is considered normal.
The Vatican press office also stated that further medical updates are expected later on Friday.
“Pope Francis rested last night. The medical team reports that the clinical picture is gradually improving and the postoperative period is regular,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement.
“After breakfast, His Holiness began to move around and spent most of the morning in his armchair. This allowed him to read the newspapers and initially resume his work,” reads the statement released today.
On Thursday, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said that “the postoperative course appears to be regular,” adding that the pope was on a liquid diet.
The spokesman went on to say that that on Thursday afternoon the Pope “received the Eucharist” for the feast of Corpus Christi and that he also made a short telephone call to the mother of a child baptized in hospital at the end of March, to thank her for the good wishes of the family.
The 86-year-old pope underwent three-hour bowel surgery under general anesthesia at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Wednesday, which was performed “without complications” by a team led by Professor Sergio Alfieri, the same surgeon who operated in July 2021.
Francisco was hospitalized for several days in March with bronchitis at Gemelli Hospital.
Francis’s health has been the subject of debate since he made it clear that he would be willing to step down if illness prevented him from doing his job, as happened to his predecessor Benedict XVI in 2013.
The pope has been stricken with cataracts, sciatica and osteoarthritis in his right knee, requiring him to use a wheelchair on many occasions.
After the colon surgery, on July 4, 2021, he responded to speculation: “I’m still alive, some prelates wanted me to die, they were already preparing the conclave (to choose a successor)”.
Source: DN
