Pope continues post-surgery recovery in hospital

10/6/2023 18:51

        Pope Francis spent another good night in the Rome hospital where he is recovering from abdominal surgery, the Vatican said Saturday.
        
        Francis, 86, underwent the operation on Wednesday to repair a hernia in the abdominal wall and to remove scar tissue that had formed following intestinal surgery in previous years.
        
        The Vatican said it would provide more details on the pope's medical progress later in the day.
        
        Meanwhile, thousands of people were expected in St. Peter's Square for a late-afternoon gathering at the Vatican to promote brotherhood - a quality so dear to Francis he wrote an encyclical on its importance in 2020. In that document, the pope explained his vision of a post-COVID world built on solidarity, fraternity and care for the environment.
        
        The crowd was expected to see a video message from the pope. It wasn't immediately clear if Francis had recorded the message before his surgery or during the hospitalization.