The Vatican said Pope Francis is doing well after having intestinal surgery, after the 84-year-old pope was hospitalized for the first time since he was elected in 2013.
Spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement that the pope had «responded well» to the surgery, performed under general anesthesia, which the Vatican earlier said was scheduled and not caused by an emergency.
He did not give further details of the surgery or how long it took, and did not say how long the pope would stay at Gemelli Hospital in Rome.
The Pope was hospitalized early yesterday afternoon and the statement was issued just before midnight Rome time.
Francis underwent surgery for symptomatic diverticulosis, a condition in which sac-like sacs protrude from the muscular layer of the colon, narrowing it.
The operation was carried out by a medical team of 10 people.
In addition to causing pain, the condition can lead to bloating, inflammation, and difficulty having a bowel movement. It tends to affect older people more.
The pope appeared in good health several hours ago when he addressed thousands of people in St Peter’s Square for his blessing on Sunday and announced a trip to Slovakia and Budapest in September.
The sprawling Catholic-run Gemelli Hospital and Medical School in the northern part of Rome traditionally treats the popes and part of the tenth floor is permanently reserved for them.
As he does every year in July, Francis has already suspended all his public and private audiences for the month.
Unlike his predecessors, he remained in the Vatican and never used the sprawling papal summer estate in the Alban Hills south of Rome.
Francis sometimes suffers from shortness of breath due to the removal of part of his lungs following an illness as a young man in his native Argentina.
He also suffers from sciatica, which causes pain that spreads from the lower back along the sciatic nerve to the legs.
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