Global Courant
STORY: Doctors at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital said on Wednesday that Pope Francis was doing well after a three-hour operation to repair a hernia.
Chief surgeon Dr Sergio Alfieri called the operation a success and said the pope should have no restrictions on his planned travels for this summer and other activities after he recovers.
“The surgery and general anesthesia were well tolerated by the Pope. Now he is awake, he is fine and he is already at work.”
Alfieri told reporters that no other ailments or pathologies were discovered during the operation and that he expected the 86-year-old pope to remain in hospital for 5 to 7 days.
But he warned that the pope, while strong, was elderly and that a recent bout of bronchitis required every precaution to be taken regarding the timing of his hospital stay.
Pope Francis was taken to hospital after his weekly general audience in St Peter’s Square on Wednesday morning when he made no mention of the planned surgery – the latest in a string of health concerns in recent years.
This is the third hospital stay for Pope Francis since cardinals chose the Argentine in 2013 to become the first Latin American pope.
