ROME: Pope Francis underwent a three-hour operation in a Rome hospital on Wednesday to repair a hernia, which doctors said was successful enough that he should have no limitations on his travels and other activities after he recovers.
"He even joked with me about when we would do the third operation," said chief surgeon Doctor Sergio Alfieri, who carried out a first abdominal operation on Francis in 2021.
Alfieri, speaking to reporters at Rome's Gemelli hospital, said no other ailments or pathologies were discovered during the operation.
The surgeon said the 86-year-old Francis had reacted well to general anaesthesia and that he expected the pope to be in hospital for about 5-7 days.
But he cautioned that while strong, the pope was elderly and recently had bronchitis so "we will take all necessary precautions" regarding the timing of the hospital stay.
Francis has two trips planned for this summer and Alfieri said he saw no medical reason why the pope would have to change his schedule.
His only caution to the pope was that he should not lift any heavy objects.
"He looked at me as if to say 'I'm the pope. I don't lift weights,'" Alfieri said.
Francis was taken to hospital after his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square, where he gave no sign that he was about to enter hospital for planned surgery.
The operation took place in the Catholic-run hospital a short drive away from the Vatican and which has a 10th-floor suite reserved for popes.
It is the third hospital stay for Francis since cardinals chose the Argentinian in 2013 as the first Latin American pope. It is the latest in a string of health problems in recent years.
AUDIENCES CANCELLED UNTIL MID-JUNE
The Vatican said all of the pope's private and general audiences had been cancelled until June 18. In his 2021 stay there, however, Francis recited the traditional Sunday prayer from a hospital balcony.
A statement issued on Wednesday morning said the operation was necessary to repair a laparocele, a hernia that sometimes forms over a scar usually resulting from previous surgery. It is more common in older people and it can also be caused by obesity or weakness of the abdominal wall muscles.
Alfieri said the pope himself had decided on Tuesday to have the operation the next day after having a CAT scan at the same hospital.
The pope's condition was causing painful, intestinal occlusions, Alfieri said, adding that it was getting "continuously worse".
Francis underwent a laparotomy, or open abdominal surgery, and a prosthesis was used to reconstruct the abdominal wall.
In July 2021 he had part of his colon removed in an operation aimed at addressing a painful bowel condition called diverticulitis. He said earlier this year that the condition had returned and was affecting his weight.
Francis was treated for five days at the same hospital at the end of March with a lung infection and last month skipped audiences for a day due to a fever.
The pope often uses a wheelchair or a cane to walk because of persistent knee pain. Last year he didn't want to have an operation on his knee because the general anaesthesia for his colon surgery had brought disagreeable side-effects.
The Vatican announced plans on Saturday for him to visit Mongolia from Aug. 31-Sept. 4, one of the more remote places he has travelled to.
Before that he is due to visit Portugal from Aug. 2-6 to attend the World Youth Day in Lisbon and visit the Shrine of Fatima. The Vatican on Tuesday released an official schedule for the trip, giving an indication it was confirmed.
Reuters
Thu Jun 08 2023
Doctor Sergio Alfieri said Pope Francis had reacted well to general anaesthesia and that he expected the pope to be in hospital for about 5-7 days. - REUTERS/Filepic
Chegubard didakwa di Mahkamah Sesyen KL esok - Peguam
Badrul Hisham Shaharin atau dikenali Chegubard akan didakwa di Mahkamah Sesyen Kuala Lumpur esok atas pertuduhan memfitnah dan menghasut.
Pulau Pinang, kerajaan pusat bekerjasama tarik pelaburan semikonduktor
Kerajaan Pulau Pinang akan bekerjasama dengan Kerajaan Persekutuan untuk meneruskan usaha menarik pelaburan dalam sektor semikonduktor, termasuk segmen reka bentuk litar bersepadu (IC) di negeri itu.
Rakyat Malaysia di Jordan jadi duta produk PMKS negara
Menteri Pembangunan Usahawan dan Koperasi Datuk Ewon Benedick menyarankan rakyat Malaysia yang menetap di Jordan supaya memainkan peranan sebagai “duta” untuk mempromosikan produk perusahaan mikro kecil dan sederhana (PMKS) SERTA koperasi negara.
Mohamed Khaled tiba di Indonesia, dijadual bertemu Prabowo
Menteri Pertahanan Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin tiba di Jakarta hari ini untuk lawatan kerja rasmi sulung beliau ke Indonesia sejak memegang jawatan itu.
SPRM mohon maklumat dari Jerman
Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) memohon maklumat terkini daripada pihak berkuasa Jerman mengenai dana bon 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) yang dipercayai digunakan untuk membeli kereta mewah di negara itu pada 26 Okt 2022.
SPRM siasat pemimpin kanan di utara tanah air
Seorang pemimpin kanan di utara tanah air disiasat Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) kerana disyaki melantik beberapa syarikat yang mempunyai kepentingan dengannya membabitkan beberapa projek pembekalan melibatkan peruntukan kira-kira RM300,000.
Kembangkan kandungan tempatan melalui AI
Menurut Setiausaha Agung Organisasi Kerjasama Digital (DCO) Deemah Al Yahya, terdapat 2.7 peratus daripada penduduk dunia tidak berhubung malah tidak mempunyai sambungan asas internet. Beliau turut berkata infrastruktur pengkomputeran setiap negara perlu mempunyai kemampuan untuk mengembangkan kandungan tempatan khususnya yang melibatkan penggunaan AI.
AI tidak dapat ganti guru
Menteri Pendidikan Rwanda, Gaspard Twagirayezu berkata kepesatan teknologi AI dalam pendidikan tidak dapat menggantikan guru malah membantu guru dalam menyediakan bahan pengajaran yang bermanfaat kepada pelajar.
Berita tempatan pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Berikut adalah berita yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang Ahad, 28 April 2024.
Mesyuarat Khas WEF: Dunia perlukan persaingan sihat dalam transisi ke Orde Baharu - Menteri Luar Arab Saudi
Menteri Luar Negeri Arab Saudi, Putera Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud berkata dunia memerlukan persaingan sihat dalam transisi daripada Orde Dunia Lama kepada Orde Baharu. Jelasnya, persaingan ini akan memberi manfaat dalam bentuk kos pengeluaran lebih rendah, perkembangan inovasi dan pelaburan lebih baik. #MesyuaratKhasWEF #WEF
Perang Palestin-Israel: Penyelesaian dua negara diperlukan - Pope Francis
Kembali kepada Perjanjian Oslo untuk menentukan kedudukan Palestin dan Israel, cadang Pope Francis.
Pope 'jijik' dengan tindakan bakar al-Quran di Sweden
Pope Francis mengutuk dan menolak perbuatan itu sebagai satu bentuk kebebasan bersuara.
Zelenskyy adakan pertemuan dengan Pope, pemimpin Itali
Presiden Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy pada Sabtu mengadakan perbincangan dengan Pope Francis di Rom dan bertemu beberapa pemimpin Itali sempena lawatan beliau ke Itali.
Pope Francis dikejar ke hospital akibat jangkitan paru-paru
Beliau mengalami sesak nafas sejak kebelakangan ini namun disahkan negatif COVID-19.
Lupakan ego, pemimpin terbesar gereja Katolik cium kaki pemimpin Sudan Selatan
Dalam pertemuan itu, Pope Francis memohon agar kedua-dua pemimpin berkenaan mengembalikan keamanan di negara Afrika itu.
Biarawati disimpan sebagai hamba seks oleh paderi
Pope Francis mengaku buat pertama kali bahawa wujudnya skandal biarawati didera secara seksual oleh para pendeta di Gereja Katolik.
Vatican, Al-Azhar tandatangan dokumen banteras ekstremisme
Vatican dan Masjid Al-Azhar pada Isnin menandatangani sebuah dokumen bagi membanteras kegiatan militan dan ekstremisme.
3,600 kanak-kanak didakwa dicabul paderi di Jerman
Lebih dari 3,600 orang kanak-kanak di Jerman dilaporkan telah dicabul oleh paderi Roman Katolik di negara itu.
Siri jelajah Pope Francis dicemari insiden serangan terhadap gereja
Serangan terhadap beberapa buah gereja semakin menjadi-jadi selepas Pope Francis mengumumkan akan mengadakan siri jelajah ke rantau Eropah
Pope Francis kutuk serangan bom di gereja Mesir
Pope Francis mengutuk sekeras-kerasnya serangan bom yang mengorbankan sekurang-kurangnya 43 orang di dua buah gereja Kristian Koptik di Mesir.