ROME — The Vatican announced Monday that Pope Francis will remain hospitalized for seven days “barring complications,” following Sunday evening intestinal surgery.
“His Holiness Pope Francis is in good general condition, alert and breathing spontaneously,” reads a statement by Matteo Bruni, the pope’s spokesman and director of the Holy See Press Office.
“The surgery for diverticular stenosis carried out in the evening of 4 July involved a left hemicolectomy and lasted around three hours,” the statement continues.
“He is expected to remain in hospital for approximately seven days, barring any complications,” it declares.
As Breitbart News reported, on Sunday afternoon, Bruni informed the public that the 84-year-old pope had been admitted to the Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital in Rome for “planned surgery” for a symptomatic diverticular stenosis of the colon.
In a subsequent press release, Bruni said that Francis had “responded well” to the operation.
The surgery was performed with the pope under general anesthesia, with a team of ten doctors and experts in attendance.
The extensive medical entourage along with piecemeal revelations of the pope’s condition have given rise to speculation among some Vatican watchers that the full story of Francis’ health has yet to be made public.
The Vatican announced a papal trip to Hungary and Slovakia next September just prior to revealing that Francis would be heading to hospital for surgery, a move some suggest was made to stave off suspicions of a more serious health issue.