Pope Francis on his hospital balcony.Photo: Marco Ravagli/Barcroft Media via Getty
Pope Francisis on the road to recovery.
Just one weekafter undergoing colon surgery, the pope, 84, made his first public appearance from the balcony of his hospital room outside of Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome.
Later in the day, the popeshared a post on Instagramwith photos from his appearance and spoke about the importance of universal health care.
“Let us pray for all the sick that may no one be left alone, that everyone receives the anointing of listening, closeness and care,” the post reads. “We can all give it with a visit, a phone call, an outstretched hand.”
“In these days of being hospitalized, I have experienced how important good health care is, accessible to all,” the post continues. “This precious benefit must not be lost which needs everyone’s commitment.”
The head of the Catholic Church wasfirst transported to Gemelli Polyclinic for the scheduled colon surgeryon July 4 after his Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square.
Matteo Bruni, Director of the Holy See Press Office, confirmed the operation in a statement, revealing that the pope’s surgical intervention was for a “symptomatic diverticular stenosis of the colon.”
“Performing the surgery is Prof. Sergio Alfieri. Dr. Alfieri is in the hospital’s Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and heads the Digestive Surgery Complex Operational Unit. He is specialized in general, digestive, colon-rectal, stomach, and pancreatic surgery,” Bruni noted.
A day later, Bruni updated Pope Francis' followers with another statement, confirming he was in “good general condition, alert and breathing on his own.”
The statement also revealed that the pope would remain at Rome’s Gemelli Policlinic for at least a week barring any complications from the three-hour operation.
RELATED VIDEO: Vatican Denies Report That Pope Francis Has A Brain Tumor
Though Sunday officially marked one week,Todayreported that the pope is expected to stay in the hospital for a few more days before being discharged this week.
This is not the first health scare for Pope Francis. He opened up aboutnearly dying from the fluat age 21 in his bookLet Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future, which he wrote about navigating the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020
“When I got really sick at the age of twenty-one I had my first experience of limit, of pain and loneliness. It changed the way I saw life,” Pope Francis wrote. “For months, I didn’t know who I was, and whether I would live or die. The doctors had no idea whether I’d make it either.”
source: people.com
