Francis, aged 84, will be staying in Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic (a Catholic hospital) for seven days, Matteo Bruni, a Vatican spokesperson, said.
The Vatican’s brief medical bulletin gave the first details, more than 12 hours after Sunday’s surgery. According to the Holy See, the procedure was necessary due to a diverticularstenosis (or narrowing of the pope’s large intestine).
Bruni stated in writing that “His Holy Father” is in good health, alert, and spontaneously breathing. Bruni stated that the operation to treat diverticular stenosis was performed on July 4th and took about three hours.
This procedure involves removing the left side colon and attaching the large intestine. The Vatican did not elaborate.
Francis spent his first morning in Rome recuperating from surgery to the left side his large intestine.
The Vatican provided few details about the operation before Monday’s statement.
An Italian cardinal said earlier that he was informed by Francis that he was doing well post-operatively.
“Our prayer is very important and our closeness are very much,” Cardinal Enrico Feroci stated at Rome’s airport, where he was about to board a flight. According to ANSA, he said that he had spoken earlier in the day to Angelo DeDonatis, a cardinal. He told him that the pope was well.
Francis will be staying on the 10th floor in a special suite. This suite was made available to Pope John Paul II for Pope John Paul II’s use for various medical issues.
The Vatican announced Sunday afternoon that Francis was being admitted to hospital for an operation. It said that Francis needed surgery due to a narrowing in the large intestine’s sigmoid.
Il Messaggero, a Rome newspaper, reported that complications occurred during surgery. The newspaper reported that surgeons had to make incisions after they started to perform laparoscopy.
The Vatican statement did not refer to this report or any “complications.”
Laparoscopy, a type of surgery often called “keyhole surgery”, allows surgeons to access the inside of the abdomen without the need for large incisions. Experts say laparoscopy is a common procedure in the type of surgery that the Vatican claimed the pope would be receiving.
Patients who have laparoscopic surgery usually require shorter stays in hospital.
The Vatican was expected to issue twice daily updates about Francis’ condition.
The pope has not been hospitalized by doctors. They have stated that it is quite common to do a resection of the affected bowel in these cases.
The pope received many messages of well-wishing. According to Mario Draghi, the Italian Premier said that the leader expressed his affection for quick recovery and healing.
