Pope Francis “reacted well” to planned intestinal surgery on Sunday evening at a Rome hospital, the Vatican said, without giving much detail about the pontiff’s condition.
In a statement late on Sunday, Holy See spokesman Matteo Bruni said 84-year-old Francis had general anesthesia during the surgery necessitated by a narrowing of the large intestine.
The written statement, which came shortly before midnight, was notable for its scarcity of medical detail.
Photo: AFP / Vatican Media
Bruni did not say how long the surgery lasted, nor for how long the pope was unconscious under anesthesia. Also not immediately clear was how long Francis would stay in Rome’s Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, a Catholic hospital, although he was expected to convalesce for a few days in a private 10th floor apartment suite reserved for the pope.
“The Holy Father, admitted in the afternoon to A. Gemelli Polyclinic, underwent in the evening planned surgery for a diverticular stenosis of the sigmoid” portion of the colon, Bruni said in the brief written statement.
“The Holy Father reacted well to the surgery conducted under general anesthesia,” the spokesman said, adding that there was a four-person surgical team, plus a four-person anesthesiologist team.
A stenosis is an abnormal constriction or narrowing. The sigmoid portion of the large intestine extends from the end of the descending colon to the rectum. Gastroenterologists say the sigmoid segment is a common location for a diverticular stenosis.
It was a remarkable end to a day that began publicly for Francis when, during his traditional Sunday appearance to the faithful in St Peter’s Square, he cheerfully announced that he would visit Hungary and Slovakia in September.
The pope made no mention of his impending surgery, but headed shortly after his window appearance to the hospital.
At the end of his public remarks from an Apostolic Palace window, Francis told the crowd: “And please, don’t forget to pray for me.”
Then he added, sounding casual, almost wistfully: “Thanks, ciao.”
A couple hours after he was admitted, reportedly arriving with little escort and no fanfare, the Vatican revealed that Francis had been diagnosed with a narrowing of the large intestine.
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