The Vatican said Pope Francis underwent colon surgery at a Rome hospital on Sunday evening and has “reacted well.”
Matteo Bruni, a Holy See spokesperson, said in a statement on Sunday that the pope, 84, was administered with general anesthesia during the medical procedure asked by a constricting of the large intestine.
Released prior to midnight, the issued statement was notably short on medical information.
The spokesperson did not specify on the surgery’s duration as well as the condition of the pope under anesthesia.
It also did not clarify on the period Francis would remain in a Catholic hospital Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic.
“The Holy Father, admitted in the afternoon to A. Gemelli Polyclinic, underwent in the evening planned surgery for a diverticular stenosis of the sigmoid portion of the colon,” part of Bruni’s statement said. “The Holy Father reacted well to the surgery conducted under general anesthesia,” the spokesperson furthered. He also mentioned that the surgical team was made up of four persons, as well as the anesthesiologist team.
Dr. Sergio Alfieri, the director of Gemelli’s digestive surgery department became the pope’s main surgeon. Also in the room was his official physician who replaced the previous one who died. The pope’s previous doctor was infected with COVID-19 and had sought cancer treatment at Gemelli.
The surgery became a significant end for the pope who appeared in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday where he said he is set to visit Slovakia and Hungary in September, according to Associated Press.
He never mentioned his scheduled surgery but told the crowd: “And please, don’t forget to pray for me” as he concluded his speech from the Apostolic Palace window.
