Pope Francis is recovering in the aftermath of undergoing an intestinal surgery Wednesday, two years after the pope had a portion of his colon removed due to inflammation and a narrowing of the large intestine. The Vatican announced that Wednesday’s procedure successfully removed intestinal scar tissue and repaired a hernia in the 86-year-old religious leader’s abdominal wall.
No complications were reported during the three-hour surgery, according to Dr. Sergio Alfieri, director of abdominal and endocrine sciences at Gemelli Hospital, who also performed Francis’ 2021 colon surgery. During the operation, doctors were able to remove internal scarring on the intestine that had caused Francis a partial blockage and pain. Alfieri also shared that Francis had undergone previously undisclosed abdominal surgeries before 2013 in Argentina, which had also caused scarring.
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Alfieri continued that doctors repaired Francis’ hernia, which had formed over a previous scar, using a prosthetic mesh in the abdominal wall. The pope is said to have had no other pathologies and the tissue removed was determined to be benign. No protrusion of the intestine through the hernial tear was found.
The pope was awake and in good humor soon after waking up, reportedly joking, “When will we do the third one?” Francis is expected to remain at Gemelli Hospital in Rome for several days, with all papal audiences being canceled through June 18. “The stay at the health facility will last several days to allow for the normal post-operative course and full functional recovery,” the Vatican’s statement said.
Francis previously was hospitalized for 10 days at Gemelli in July 2021 for his prior intestinal surgery. In January, the pontiff told The Associated Press that diverticulosis – bulges in his intestinal wall – had returned following his 2021 surgery to fix the situation.
In March, the pope spent three days at the hospital, after the Vatican said he went in for scheduled tests before revealing he had been experiencing chest pain and was rushed to the hospital. Francis was diagnosed with bronchitis at the time but soon recovered. Tuesday, Francis went to Gemelli for medical tests, according to the Vatican, revealing no other details at the time. Wednesday morning, the pope held an audience in St. Peter’s Square and attended two meetings before his surgery.
