RomeCNN —
Pope Francis was recovering well in a Rome hospital on Thursday, the day after the 86-year-old had abdominal surgery that renewed health fears.
“The night went well,” said Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni, in a statement on the Vatican’s press office Telegram account. Bruni added that more information will be released later on Thursday morning.
Francis left for hospital on Wednesday after his general audience at St. Peter’s Square, where he stopped to chat with members of the crowd. The pope then traveled to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, which has a 10th-floor suite reserved for popes, according to Reuters.
“This wasn’t an urgent surgery,” Dr. Sergio Alfieri, the surgeon who operated on Pope Francis, said at a press conference.
“He continued to feel the pain, so a surgery was decided,” Alfieri said.
There were no reported complications, according to the Vatican. It had earlier said the pope would stay in hospital for several days.
Francis reacted well to the surgery and to the anesthesia, and had already made a joke since the operation, Alfieri said.
“Other pathologies or illnesses were not found,” Alfieri said, adding that the pope has resumed his work from hospital.
Pope’s fragile health
This operation is the latest in a series of health scares surrounding Pope Francis.
He was forced to cancel several work commitments in late may after he was debilitated by a fever. He was also hospitalized in March for bronchitis, but recovered after taking antibiotics.
When he left hospital on that occasion, Francis joked that he’s “still alive.”
Wednesday’s procedure – called a laparotomy – involved general anesthesia and is intended to repair a hernia that the Vatican said caused “recurrent, painful and worsening” symptoms.
Medical sources say that the intervention was likely related to the surgery Francis underwent in 2021, which removed half of his colon.
Francis also had one part of his lung removed after a severe bout of pneumonia as a young man. In 2019, he had ocular surgery to treat a cataract. He has also struggled with chronic sciatica pain.
Over the past year, knee troubles have also largely confined him to the use of a cane or a wheelchair.
Should Francis be incapacitated for any length of time, the Vatican could face a constitutional crisis. There is no “vice pope” in the Catholic system, meaning someone who can exercise the pope’s authority in his absence.
The Vatican’s secretary of state, currently Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, can oversee routine day-to-day management, but he has no authority, for example, to appoint bishops or to create or suppress dioceses around the world.
Bruni said before the procedure that the pope was expected to make a “full functional recovery.” The Prefecture of the Papal Household said all of Francis’ audiences have been canceled until June 18.