Pope Francis is currently recuperating from abdominal surgery this week in the very same hospital room where St. John Paul II received treatment throughout his pontificate.
Newsroom(08/06/2023 19:10, Gaudium Press) According to the Vatican’s statement on June 8, Francis is in “good general condition, alert, and breathing naturally” following his three-hour surgery to address an incisional hernia.
The Holy Father is expected to remain at the esteemed Gemelli University Hospital, perched atop Rome’s highest hill, Monte Mario, for several days. In light of his recovery, all of the pope’s scheduled audiences have been cancelled until June 18.
His hospital room, situated on the 10th floor of the expansive polyclinic, is specifically designated for papal medical emergencies. Interestingly, it is the very same room that John Paul II occupied during numerous hospital stays, including his colon surgery in 1992 and his hospitalization after surviving an assassination attempt in 1981.
St. John Paul II had frequented the hospital so often during his 25-year pontificate that he once affectionately referred to Gemelli as the “third Vatican,” after Vatican City and Castel Gandolfo, the summer residence of the popes.
Visitors seeking solace and solace can now find comfort before a relic of St. John Paul II on the right wall of the hospital chapel.
Over the past two years, Pope Francis has been treated at Gemelli Hospital on three occasions. The 86-year-old pontiff spent four days hospitalized in March due to a lung infection and has also contended with a recurrence of diverticulitis, a painful inflammation of bulges in the large intestine, following his colon surgery in July 2021.
Religious leaders from around the globe have expressed their well-wishes and prayers for Pope Francis as he convalesces in the hospital.
Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the U.S. bishops’ Conference, has implored Catholics to continue praying for the pope’s recovery.
“As Pope Francis recuperates from his surgery, his faith in the healing power of our compassionate God strengthens him,” he remarked.
“Let us keep Pope Francis and all those in the hospital in our thoughts and prayers today and every day. In times of healing and solace, Jesus is always at our side, providing unwavering support and comfort.”
- Raju Hasmukh with files from CNA
