Surgeon Sergio Alfieri, who performed abdominal surgery on Pope Francis, announced that the Holy Father is in good condition and is recovering in the hospital, but he will not celebrate the Angelus prayer in front of the faithful today, Sunday. The surgeon told reporters: "He has no fever, and all heart and respiratory functions are normal." However, doctors recommended that he refrain from publicly celebrating the Angelus prayer to avoid exertion that could strain the abdominal wall muscles, such as getting up from bed or sitting, or attempting to go to the window of his room at Gemelli Hospital to recite the prayer and bless the faithful. Alfieri emphasized that "Pope Francis is not currently experiencing any heart problems, nor has he in the past. So the heart is fine."
He added, "In general, after this type of surgery, a person remains in the hospital for four or five days. We hope to convince him to stay the entire following week because the recovery period in the hospital will allow him to return to his duties with more strength and safety," noting that "the 86-year-old Pope Francis cannot, like others his age, return home to watch television and rest, as he has activities and responsibilities as a head of state and leader of Catholics." Nevertheless, he acknowledged that the final decision rests with the Pope, who will determine when he wants to leave the hospital.
Alfieri stated that during the recovery period, the Pope needs to make "the least effort possible that affects the abdominal wall" to allow the muscle wounds to heal and to enable the surgical mesh to integrate with the abdominal tissues. He stressed that "a rupture of the surgical mesh would result in a return to the operating room, and that would not be a pleasant situation for him or for me." The Pope was hospitalized to treat a hernia in the area of a previous surgery, according to surgeon Alfieri after the surgery on Wednesday. The 86-year-old Pontiff underwent a three-hour operation at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome, was put under general anesthesia, and the hernia was repaired with surgical mesh, according to Alfieri. All of the Pope's public meetings have been canceled until June 18 to give him time to recover.
