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‘I’m still alive,’ says Pope Francis after undergoing abdominal surgery

Pope Francis was discharged from a hospital in Rome on Friday following an operation on his abdomen.

• June 16, 2023
POPE WITH DOCTORS
POPE FRANCIS WITH DOCTORS [CREDIT; REUTERS]

Pope Francis was discharged from a hospital in Rome on Friday following an operation on his abdomen.

Seated in a wheelchair, he waved to onlookers as he was driven from the Gemelli Hospital, where he was operated on to prevent intestinal obstruction.

He spoke briefly with reporters outside the entrance to the hospital.

“I’m still alive,” he said, smiling, before returning to the Vatican.

His doctors said the operation went smoothly, and he tolerated the general anaesthetic well.

Before his operation last Thursday, many Catholics were concerned about the latest, urgent operation partly due to fears about how well the pope would tolerate the anaesthetic.

He underwent a procedure known as a laparotomy in medical terminology.

It was the third time the pope was admitted to the hospital in Rome, following intestinal surgery in the summer of 2021 and then being admitted for pneumonia earlier this year. 

(dpa/NAN)

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