In a sign that the trips were still on, the Vatican on Tuesday released the planned itinerary for Francis’ visit to Portugal for World Youth Day events from Aug. He has a four-day visit to Portugal scheduled for the first week of August and a similarly long trip to Mongolia starting Aug. The Vatican recently confirmed a travel-filled August, when the Holy See and Italy are usually on vacation. He also had two meetings beforehand, the Vatican said.įrancis has had a packed schedule of late, with multiple audiences each day. Peter’s Square, zipping around the square in his popemobile greeting the faithful. The pope had appeared in good form Wednesday morning at his audience in St. “The stay at the health facility will last several days to allow for the normal post-operative course and full functional recovery,” the Vatican said in a statement. and arrived at the Gemelli some 20 minutes later, escorted by police. “I suspect they are doing it now because they are worried it might become more complicated and result in an emergency operation, which would carry an even bigger risk than leaving it alone or operating now,” Phillips said.Īfter celebrating his weekly general audience Wednesday, the pope was driven in his Fiat 500 out of the Vatican shortly after 11 a.m. In late March, Francis spent three days at Gemelli for bronchitis and was treated with intravenous antibiotics. The Argentine pope had part of one lung removed when he was a young man. Robin Phillips, an emeritus professor of colorectal surgery at Imperial College London, pointed out that abdominal surgery can also compromise lung function. To avoid that, patients are advised not to do anything strenuous.ĭr. “In the first six weeks after this type of surgery, you’re at risk of getting a recurrence again,” he said. Manish Chand, a professor of surgery at University College London who specializes in colorectal surgery, said the greatest issue afterwards would be pain management and making sure the wound heals properly. “But there was no physiological problem two years ago or today.”ĭr. “Clearly no one likes to be operated on and put to sleep because the moment we’re put under, we lose consciousness,” he told an evening news conference at the hospital with the Vatican spokesman by his side. However, Alfieri said Francis had no adverse reactions to the anesthesia in 2021 or Wednesday. That reaction in part explained his refusal to have surgery to repair strained knee ligaments that have forced him to use a wheelchair and walker for over a year. In an interview with The Associated Press in January, Francis said the diverticulosis, or bulges in his intestinal wall, that prompted that surgery had returned.Īfter that surgery, Francis lamented that he hadn’t responded well to the general anesthetic. In July 2021, Francis spent 10 days at Gemelli to remove 33 centimeters (13 inches) of his large intestine. Spending more time under anesthesia, coupled with being on a ventilator for so long - in someone who has lost part of one lung as a young man - could put the pontiff at risk of breathing complications or a longer-than-expected recovery time, experts said.įrancis remained in charge of the Vatican and the 1.3-billion strong Catholic Church, even while unconscious and in the hospital, according to canon law. While unannounced publicly, it appeared timed so Francis would have ample time for recovery ahead of a busy travel schedule later this summer.Īt three hours, the pope’s procedure was considerably longer than the standard 60 to 90 minutes doctors say a hernia operation usually takes, but Alfieri noted that the scar tissue from the previous surgeries was completely removed. Hernia operations are rarely performed on an emergency basis, and Alfieri said the surgery had been planned. Walter Longo, chief of colon and rectal surgery at Yale University School of Medicine, who did not participate in the surgery and commented after consulting the Vatican statement on the procedure. “It appears they operated on him in a timely fashion with no compromise to his intestine,” said Dr.
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