By Spy Uganda Correspondent
Pope Francis had surgery in a Rome hospital on Sunday for an abnormal narrowing of his large intestine, the Vatican said.
Francis, who is 84, “reacted well to the operation,” according to a statement issued by Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See’s press office.
Performed the surgery was 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.
The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, confirmed the information through a statement to accredited journalists sent through Telegram: “This afternoon, His Holiness Pope Francis was taken to A. Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome where he will undergo a scheduled surgery for asymptomatic diverticular stenosis of the colon.”
Stenosis is an abnormal narrowing.
The announcement that Francis was entering the hospital came just hours after the pope made a public appearance before crowds in St. Peter’s Square.
A week ago, at the same regular appearance there, Francis had asked people for special prayers for himself. During that same event, he announced plans to visit Hungary and Slovakia in September.
The Argentina-born Roman Catholic pontiff was elected as the first pope from the Americas in February 2013.
He succeeded German-born Benedict XVI, who retired because of advancing age.
