2023-06-17 16:09:00
June 17, 2023 / 9:09 a.m.
The doctor who operated on Pope Francis recommends a month of convalescence in the Vatican, because he is sure that he will “be stronger” again and keep up with all his commitments, including traveling to Lisbon and Mongolia.
Dr. Sergio Alfieri asked the Holy Father to be careful “with his efforts” to be able to carry out his audiences and trips “with more force than before.” He also explained that, despite his 86 years, the Pope has a perfect heart and his blood tests are absolutely normal, something that any 50-year-old would envy.
Alfieri was the surgeon in charge of performing the three-hour operation on Pope Francis due to an abdominal hernia on Wednesday June 7 at the Policlinico Agostino Gemelli in Rome.
In statements to the Vatican media the friday june 16the doctor explained that, although he suggested rest to the Holy Father, that does not mean being “bedridden”, but rather being “careful” with your movements so as not to strain your abdominal muscles for at least a month.
The Pontiff hopes to travel to Lisbon from August 2 to 6 to participate in World Youth Day and, at the end of August, to Mongolia.
According to the Holy Father’s doctor, after a well-carried convalescence, he will be able to carry out these itineraries and appointments in “better conditions” than those he had when he “planned” them, without suffering “strong abdominal pain” like the ones he felt before the surgery.
“When the healing processes are over, he will be better. And therefore, for me, he can absolutely make the trips. Then, with his collaborators, during this month and a half, he will try to balance the commitments between the ones that cannot be postponed and the most onerous” Alfieri said.
“He has healthy vital organs. His heart is healthy, he’s never had any problems, his kidneys work very well, his lungs work well. We’ve seen him occasionally have that wheezing sound, but it’s due to the additional surgery he had in his youth – the removal of part of the lobe – so he has less lung than the others, but he was always fine,” he described.
Alfieri also operated on the Pontiff for diverticulitis in 2021 and stated that his only concern is that his patient rest and respect the indications.
The Vatican reported that the Sunday Angelus prayer and audiences for the next few days are confirmed on its agenda. However, the General Audience on Wednesday June 21 will not be held to safeguard the postoperative recovery of the Holy Father.
During the week, the Pope will meet with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, on Wednesday he will receive a visit from Brazil’s President Lula da Silva, and on Friday he will give a speech to a group of artists.
Last Sunday, for the first time in his pontificate, Pope Francis did not preside over the Marian prayer and, on medical recommendation, celebrated it privately from his room on the tenth floor of the apartment where he spent the nine postoperative days at the Gemelli Polyclinic. While the daily health bulletins from the Vatican indicated a “regular evolution” and a good clinical condition.
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