VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — Pope Francis underwent a three-hour surgery June 7, which went “without complications” according to the Holy See Press Office, with his diary now cleared until June 18. Following the operation, the Pontiff reportedly spent the night “well.”
As reported yesterday, Pope Francis was taken to the Gemelli University Polyclinic on June 7, for what the Vatican described as a scheduled surgery to address an “incarcerated incisional hernia.” According to Holy See Press Office Director Matteo Bruni, the procedure had been arranged “in recent days by the medical team assisting the Holy Father,” and “became necessary because of an incarcerated incisional hernia that is causing recurrent, painful and worsening sub occlusive syndromes.”
The Pontiff conducted his customary weekly audience in the morning before arriving at the hospital, where a three-hour surgery took place around 3 p.m. local time.
READ: Pope Francis hospitalized for ‘urgent’ abdominal surgery
With a strong press presence outside the hospital, Bruni and the Pope’s surgeon delivered a brief press conference after the surgery. The lead surgeon – Professor Sergio Alfieri, director of the Department of Medical and Surgical Abdominal and Endocrine Metabolic Sciences – was assisted by four other doctors, with the anesthesia being overseen by another five.
Alfieri stated that the surgery was “for an incarcerated laparocele at the scar of previous laparotomy surgeries performed in past years.” This had been causing the Pope “a worsening painful intestinal subocclusive syndrome for several months,” said Alfieri.
Providing details about the procedure, Alfieri noted that scarring had been found, which were taken care of by repairing the “hernial defect… by abdominal wall plastic with the aid of prosthetic mesh.”
According to Alfieri, both the surgery and the anesthesia were received well by the Pope. “The Holy Father is well, he is awake, alert, and has already joked with me!” said Alfieri.
The lead surgeon also downplayed suggestions that the operation was an emergency one, stating that “had it been an emergency, we would have intervened yesterday when he came into the hospital for a scheduled CAT scan.” As alluded to by Alfieri, Pope Francis had paid a quiet visit to the Gemelli on Tuesday morning – a visit which was acknowledged later on by the Press Office after Italian media reported the visit, leading to swift speculation about the Pope’s health.
What has been notable with this visit of Pope Francis to hospital is the manner in which the Holy See Press Office has delivered updates to the media. While the Pope’s early April visit was marked by secrecy, falsehoods, and mis-direction from the Vatican, this time there has been somewhat more transparency.
While only informing the press of the Pontiff’s operation hours before it was to occur, the subsequent detailed information given by the press office is a signal change from the sparse details released during the Pope’s previous hospital stay.