June 10, 2023, 9:47 AM
June 10, 2023, 9:47 AM
Pope Francis is fine and continues his convalescence in the hospital after an operation on his abdomen but will not publicly celebrate the Angelus prayer on Sunday, announced Sergio Alfieri, the surgeon who operated on him.
“He has no fever, all cardio-respiratory functions are normal,” Alfieri told reporters on Saturday.
But to avoid efforts that strain the muscles of the abdominal wall, like getting out of bed or sitting down, the doctors recommended that he not celebrate the Angelus in public, that is, not go near the window of his room at the Gemelli hospital where he is to say the prayer and bless the faithful.
“Pope Francis does not have any heart problems at the moment, he has never had it in the past (…) so his heart is fine,” Alfieri insisted.
“Generally, after an intervention of this type, one remains hospitalized for 4 or 5 days. We hope to convince him to stay all next week, since this recovery in the hospital will allow him to return to work with more strength and security”, added.
He recalled that the Argentine pope cannot, like other 86-year-olds, return home to watch television and rest, but rather has activities and responsibilities as head of state and head of Catholics.
However, he acknowledged that it will be Francisco who decides when he wants to leave the hospital.
His convalescence aims at “the least possible effort of the abdominal wall” to allow the best possible healing of the muscles and so that the prosthesis can integrate into the tissues of the abdomen. “If the prosthesis breaks, he has to go back to the operating room and that will not make him or me happy,” said the expert.
The Argentine Jesuit was operated on Wednesday under general anesthesia, for three hours, in order to reabsorb painful “adhesions” in his abdominal wall, consequences of his colon operation in July 2021.
He remains for the moment on the tenth floor of the Gemelli, known as “the hospital of the popes”, in the same room used on numerous occasions by John Paul II.
Their hearings were canceled until June 18.
Lung surgery at the age of 21, affected by hip and knee problems, the pope is regularly forced to lighten his schedule due to his health problems.
