Vatican Says Pope Francis Is In Good Condition And Post-Operation Test Results Are Good

Pope Francis. (Wikimedia Commons/Benhur Arcayan)

JAKARTA - Pope Francis was in good general condition on Thursday morning, after his first night in hospital after undergoing stomach surgery, resting well and the results of the first test after surgery were also good, doctors said.

"The medical team after the postoperative recovery of the whales said Pope Francis spent a quiet night, with a long rest," the Vatican said in a statement.

"He is in good general condition, alert and breathing spontaneously. His routine test results are good," the Vatican continued, adding the 86-year-old Pope would continue to rest throughout the day.

The Pope expressed his gratitude for the many messages of recovery he had received and asked people to continue praying for him, the Vatican added.

As previously reported, the Pope underwent three hours of surgery at a Roma hospital on Wednesday to repair hernia, which doctors said was quite successful so his activities and trips did not need to be restricted after recovering.

Doctor Sergio Rightri, chief surgeon operating the whale at Rome's Gemelli Hospital, said the reaction was good to general anesthesia and he expected the Pope to be in hospital for about 5-7 days.

However, speaking to reporters after the operation, mitigating that although strong, the Pope is elderly and has recently suffered from bronchitis, so "we will take all necessary precautions" related to hospitalizations.

It is known that the Pope has two planned trips for this summer, to Portugal August 2-6 to attend World Youth Day and visit the Fatima Temple, as well as to Mongolia August 31-September 4, one of the more remote places he has visited.

Badminton said he did not see the medical reason why the Pope had to change his schedule if the recovery went as well, as surgeons had hoped.

Regarding the recovery process, the Vatican said all of the Pope's private and general hearings had been canceled until June 18.

Doctors said the operation was necessary to repair laparokel, a hernia that is sometimes formed on top of scars usually resulting from previous surgery. This is more common in the elderly and can also be caused by excess weight or weakness of the stomach wall muscles.

Badminton said the whale's condition caused a painful intestinal blockage and was increasingly occurring.

The Pope underwent laparatomy, or open stomach surgery, and the net prosthesis was used to reconstruct the stomach walls.

In July 2021, some of his large intestines were removed in surgery aimed at tackling the painful condition of the intestine called diverticularitis. He said earlier this year, the condition had improved and affected his weight.