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Pope, recovering well, had ‘severe’ narrowing of his colon

Jul 7, 2021 | 4:15 AM

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis’ recovery from intestinal surgery continues to be “regular and satisfactory,” the Vatican said Wednesday, as it revealed that final examinations showed he had a suffered a “severe” narrowing of his colon.

The Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, said the 84-year-old pope was continuing to eat regularly following his Sunday surgery to remove the left side of his colon.

He said final examination of the affected tissue “confirmed a severe diverticular stenosis with signs of sclerosing diverticulitis.”

Francis underwent three hours of surgery Sunday for what the Vatican said was a narrowing of the large intestine. He is expected to stay in Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic, which has a special suite reserved for popes, through the week, assuming no complications.