After undergoing abdominal surgery, Pope Francis, 86 years old, was hospitalized in Rome on June 7 for the surgery and will be discharged Friday morning, the Vatican announced Thursday.
After a “regular” clinical evolution, hemodynamically stable, and following the recommendations of the interdisciplinary team, Pope Francis will be released from the Gemelli hospital “today, Friday, June 16, in the morning,” confirmed the director of the Holy See press service, Matteo Bruni, in a communiqué.
“The medical staff reports that Pope Francis has rested well during the night. The clinical evolution continues regularly. Blood tests are normal,” he added.
The pontiff spoke with young interns during a visit Thursday to the hospital’s pediatric oncology and pediatric neurosurgery department, some of whom had sent him letters, drawings and messages about his illness.
The Argentine Jesuit, in a wheelchair, was also seen greeting patients and staff in the corridors of the hospital, according to photos published by the Vatican. In addition, he shared the table during dinner on Wednesday with the people who assisted him and on Thursday he received the medical team that participated in his operation, composed of surgeons and other members of the interdisciplinary team.
The surgery the pope underwent lasted three hours and was performed under general anesthesia with the objective of reabsorbing painful “adhesions” in his abdominal wall, sequels left by a colon surgery he underwent in July 2021.
From the date of his admission to the hospital, he remained on the 10th floor of the Gemelli hospital, under medical observation after the surgical procedure, a medical facility known as the “hospital of the popes”, which at the time provided medical care in the same room to John Paul II. His audiences were cancelled until June 18.
Pope Francis, who underwent lung surgery at age 21 and suffers from hip and knee pain, has often been forced to cancel events on his schedule due to health problems.
Published by Emirates Herald, news and information agency.