The New York Times :
The Vatican announced that Pope Francis had responded well to colon surgery in a hospital in Rome on Sunday evening, overcoming the first significant health challenge in a pontificate that has lasted more than eight years and shifted the priorities and direction of the Roman Catholic Church.
In a short statement released late Sunday night after the unexpected announcement of the pope’s hospitalisation earlier in the day, Matteo Bruni, the Vatican spokesperson, said that the operation had taken place while the pope was under general anesthesia and that Francis, 84, had “responded well.”
Earlier Sunday, Bruni, stunned the faithful throughout the church when he announced that Francis had been taken to the Gemelli hospital in the Italian capital for “scheduled surgery” to treat symptomatic diverticular stenosis of the colon.
The surgery was performed by Dr. Sergio Alfieri, who heads the hospital’s operational unit for digestive surgery, the Vatican said.
Ten doctors, including Alfieri, and the pope’s personal physician, Dr. Roberto Bernabei, were present, Bruni said. He did not say how long the pope would be hospitalised, but the Italian media reported that he would remain at the hospital for several days.
In remarks Sunday before his hospitalisation, Francis made no mention of the operation, and the Vatican offered little detail about his condition. But Francis did say in his weekly blessing on June 27, “Pray in a special way: the pope needs your prayers.”
Until now, the pope’s health has not been cause for much concern.
More than 60 years ago, he had an upper lobe of his lung removed as a result of complications from tuberculosis. And in recent years, his breathing has seemed laboured during speeches. But Francis has maintained an often exhausting schedule during his foreign trips, most recently to Iraq in March.
He has, however, clearly slowed, in part because he has sciatica, a condition that causes leg and back pain, and he has missed some engagements. This past year, he missed New Year’s Eve and Day services because of a flare-up. Last year, he missed a Lenten retreat with senior aides because of a bad cold.
