>>>ANSA/Pope on the mend after abdominal surgery

(ANSA) - ROME, JUN 8 - Pope Francis "spent the day resting" following his abdominal surgery to fix a hernia caused by a 2021 operation Wednesday and his "hemodynamic and respiratory parameters are stable", the Vatican press office said Thursday.
    "The post-operative course appears to be regular," said Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni, adding that the pope had followed a water diet.
    The spokesman said in the afternoon the Pope had "received the Eucharist" for the Feast of Corpus Christi and that he also made a brief telephone call to the mother of a child he baptised at the hospital at the end of March to thank her for well wishes sent by the family.
    Earlier in the day the same spokesman said "Pope Francis spent a peaceful night, managing to rest for a long time; he is in good general condition, alert and breathing spontaneously. The routine control examinations are good. For the whole day he will observe the necessary post-operative rest".
    "The Pope is informed of the messages of closeness and affection that have arrived in the last few hours and expresses his gratitude, at the same time asking for continued prayers for him," Bruni added.
    Francis spent a quiet night in Rome's Gemelli Hospital after surgery to repair the painful hernia formed over the scar left by the colon operation two years ago, the Vatican said earlier.
    "The night passed well", the Press Office said.
    Francis was in good spirits when he woke up after the three-hour procedure early Wednesday evening asking the surgeon "when are we going to do the third one?" The Argentine pontiff, 86, who was in the Gemelli with bronchitis earlier this year for a few days, underwent three-hour bowel surgery under general anaesthesia, "without complications", by a team led by Professor Sergio Alfieri, the same surgeon who operated on him in July 2021.
    The post-operative course is proceeding as planned, Vatican sources said.
    The pope is expected to spend several days in the Gemelli and as a precautionary measure, all of his audiences have been suspended until 18 June.
    "The holy father is well, awake and alert," said Alfieriaftre the operation, after heading the team that intervened to resolve an abdominal laparocele or hernia.
    "He has already told me his first one-liner," the surgeon added, saying Francis was in good spirits.
    Alfieri stressed that the pontiff, who has had a number of minor but irksome health problems in recent years, has no other diseases.
    "The surgery two years ago was for a benign pathology, the diverticular stenosis is benign, the pathology for which he was operated on today is benign and will leave no trace," said Alfieri.
    "The hospital stay will be between five and seven days, he is 86 years old and has already undergone four operations.
    "Give us a few days.
    "He is being looked after by his assistant these days, it's not an emergency situation," added Alfieri.
    "The whole Italian people is with you", President Sergio Mattarella told Francis in a message sent from Paris while the pontiff was undergoing the surgery.
    Francis's health has been a matter of debate since he made it clear that he would be prepared to step down if illness prevented him from doing his job just like his predecessor Benedict XVI sensationally did in 2013.
    He has been niggled with cataracts, sciatica and a painful right knee that has forced him to use a wheelchair on many occasions.
    After the colon op on July 4, 2021, he acknowledged the speculation saying "I'm still alive, some prelates wanted me dead, they were already preparing the conclave (to elect a successor)". (ANSA).