Pope Francis is doing well and continues his recovery in hospital after abdominal surgery. But he will not publicly celebrate the Angelus prayer on Sunday, announced this Saturday the surgeon Sergio Alfieri who operated on him. "He has no fever, all cardiorespiratory functions are normal," he said.
But to avoid efforts that put tension on the muscles of the abdominal wall, such as getting out of bed or sitting down, doctors recommended that he not celebrate the Angelus prayer in public, that is, not try to go to the window of his room in the Gemelli Hospital where he is to recite the prayer and bless the faithful.
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"Pope Francis has no heart problems right now, he has never had one in the past... so the heart is fine," insisted Sergio Alfieri. "Generally, after an intervention of this kind, we remain hospitalized 4-5 days. We hope to convince him to stay all next week because this recovery in the hospital will allow him to return to work with more strength and security," added the surgeon.
François can decide for himself on his date of discharge from the hospital
He recalled that Pope Francis cannot, like other 86-year-olds, come home to watch television and rest, but that he has activities and responsibilities as head of state and head of Catholics. He acknowledged, however, that the final decision will be up to Francis who will decide when he wants to leave the hospital.
His convalescence aims at "the smallest possible effort of the abdominal wall" to allow the best possible healing of the muscles and the prosthesis to integrate with the tissues of the abdomen because "if the prosthesis tears, it must return to the operating room. And it won't please him or me," the expert said.
The Argentine Jesuit was operated Wednesday under general anesthesia, for three hours, to resolve painful "adhesions" on his abdominal wall, consequences of his colon operation in July 2021. It remains for the moment on the 10th floor of the Gemelli, known as the "hospital of the popes", in the same room as that used many times by John Paul II, pope from 1978 to 2005. His hearings were cancelled until June 18.
Operated on the lung at the age of 21, affected by hip and knee problems, François is regularly forced to lighten his schedule due to health problems.