Pope Francis ‘doing well’ after surgery
Pope Francis, 84, underwent surgery Sunday for an inflamed large colon, a Vatican statement said.
The pontiff was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli University Hospital “for a scheduled surgery for symptomatic diverticular stenosis of the colon”, the statement further read.
The condition causes potentially painful inflammation of the diverticulum, a pocket that can form on the colon walls and which tend to multiply with age.
On Sunday evening, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis had responded well to the surgery.
In a short statement released late Sunday night, Matteo Bruni, the Vatican spokesman, said that the operation had taken place while the pope was under general anesthesia and that Francis, had “responded well.”
The surgery was performed by Dr. Sergio Alfieri, who heads the hospital’s operational unit for digestive surgery, the Vatican said.
Ten doctors, including Dr. Alfieri, and the pope’s personal physician, Dr. Roberto Bernabei, were present, Mr. Bruni said.
Mr.Bruni did not say how long the pope would be hospitalized, but the Italian media reported that he would remain at the hospital for several days.
It is the first time that Francis has been admitted to a hospital since becoming pope in 2013.
Pope Francis, an Argentine, is the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State.