The Holy See has announced Pope Francis is recovering from undergoing a laparotomy and abdominal wall surgery earlier Wednesday. In a statement, it said the pope was out of surgery, and the operation "took place without complications."
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin told journalists outside the Gemelli Hospital that the pope would continue working from his hospital bed while recovering in the next few days.
"We follow him with our affection. We follow him with our prayers, hoping that everything will be resolved as soon as possible and he will return to the exercise of his ministry," the cardinal added.
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According to Holy See Press Office director Matteo Bruni, the operation under general anesthesia lasted for three hours and was planned by the pope's medical team in recent days after it became necessary due to a hernia that was causing recurrent, painful, and worsening symptoms. The surgery was probably the result of the scarring caused by the pope's previous colon surgery in July 2021.
Pope Francis was taken to Gemelli Hospital on a white Fiat 500 with tinted windows and police escort after greeting pilgrims at his weekly general audience at St. Peter's Square and venerating the relic of the French Carmelite mystic St. Thérèse Martin of Lisieux.
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