Pope Francis will be hospitalized for “a few more days” at the hospital in Rome where he is recovering from bowel surgery, the Vatican reported on Monday (12).
“To optimize medical therapy and rehabilitation, the Holy Father will remain hospitalized for a few more days,” said his spokesperson, Matteo Bruni, without further details.
Carried out on July 4 and under general anesthesia, the surgery – a left hemicolectomy, a procedure in which part of the colon is removed – lasted three hours and was performed by ten professionals from the Gemelli Hospital in Rome. On the 5th, it was announced that he would be hospitalized for at least seven days.
The operation was performed to treat a condition of diverticular stricture, a condition in which “pockets” form in the muscle layer of the colon, making it narrower. In addition to causing pain, the disease can lead to bloating, inflammation, and difficulty evacuating. It is a more common diagnosis in the elderly.
The Pope’s spokesman said that Francisco, passionate about football since his youth, “shared the joy of the Argentinian and Italian national teams with his relatives”.
Argentina beat Brazil 1-0 to win the Copa América after a 28-year gap on Saturday (10) in Rio de Janeiro. Italy, on the other hand, won the European Cup on Sunday (11) at Wembley Stadium in London, beating England on penalties.
Still according to the spokesperson, the Pope also wished to recall “the meaning of sport and its values, and the sporting capacity to accept any result, including defeat”.
“It is only in this way, faced with the difficulties of life, that we can always get involved, fight without surrendering, with hope and confidence,” he said, according to the Vatican statement.
On Sunday (11), Francisco, 84, appeared on the 10th-floor veranda of the hospital to pray to the Angelus, his voice a little hoarse, but saying he was happy to perform the rite.
Also on Sunday, the pontiff visited patients hospitalized on his floor and celebrated mass in the chapel with the medical and nursing staff treating him, Bruni reported.