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Pope Francis just underwent a three-hour colon surgery, and the Catholic church has shared an update on the 84-year-old’s health. He will remain at a hospital in Rome for at least a week to ensure there are no complications, though he is in “good general health.”
In a statement, the church explained, “His Holiness Pope Francis is in good general condition, alert and breathing on his own.”
The pope’s surgery was a planned procedure and took place at Gemelli Policlinic. According to the church, Pope Francis needed the surgery to address a narrowing of the large intestine.
While the church has not revealed much further information, this type of condition seems to be quite common in those over the age of 80.
The church stated, “Performing the surgery is Prof. Sergio Alfieri. Dr. Alfieri is in the hospital's Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and heads the Digestive Surgery Complex Operational Unit. He is specialized in general, digestive, colon-rectal, stomach, and pancreatic surgery.
And, the church has updated the public that Pope Francis’ recovery is going well. He has even been able to eat on his own and get up to walk.
Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said, “His Holiness Pope Francis rested well during the night. This morning he had breakfast, read some newspapers and got up to walk. The post-operative recovering is regular. Routine control tests are good.”
When he was younger, Pope Francis went through another health scare: he had nearly died of the flu at age 21.
He described the experience in his book: “When I got really sick at the age of twenty-one I had my first experience of limit, of pain and loneliness. It changed the way I saw life. For months, I didn't know who I was, and whether I would live or die. The doctors had no idea whether I'd make it either.”
