Pope drinks liquids, makes brief call after surgery to remove intestinal scar tissue, repair hernia

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis drank liquids, received the Eucharist and even made a brief phone call Thursday on his first full day recovering from a three-hour operation to remove intestinal scar tissue and repair a hernia in his abdominal wall, the Vatican said. The 86-year-old...

What happens to papal power when a pope is unconscious? Nothing

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis' three-hour surgery Wednesday raised a question about what happens to papal power when a pope is unconscious or otherwise incapacitated and cannot lead the Catholic Church. The answer: nothing. While many countries regulate the transfer of...

Pope Francis has scar tissue removed, hernia repaired during 3-hour abdominal surgery

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis underwent successful surgery Wednesday to remove intestinal scar tissue and repair a hernia in his abdominal wall, the latest maladies to befall the 86-year-old pontiff who had part of his colon removed two years ago. The Vatican said there were no...

What kind of surgery did Pope Francis have, and why?

LONDON (AP) — Pope Francis emerged from a three-hour abdominal surgery at a Rome hospital on Wednesday evening, with no known complications, the Vatican said. The procedure was necessary to repair a painful hernia the pontiff developed, linked to a 2021 operation to remove a significant portion...

A look at Pope Francis' health over the years

Pope Francis has had three hospitalizations since he was elected pope in 2013, and underwent major surgery as a young man to have part of one lung removed. In between, the 86-year-old pontiff has suffered from bouts of sciatica, or nerve pain, that have made walking and standing...

Pope Francis has emerged from three hours of abdominal surgery without complications, the Vatican says

Pope going to the hospital for intestinal surgery, will remain for several days, Vatican says

Today in History: June 7, court rejects contraceptive ban

Today in History Today is Wednesday, June 7, the 158th day of 2023. There are 207 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On June 7, 1965, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Griswold v. Connecticut, struck down, 7-2, a Connecticut law used to...

Pope briefly at hospital for tests two months after bronchitis, returns to Vatican

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis briefly went to Rome's main hospital on Tuesday for tests and returned to the Vatican, two months after he was hospitalized with an acute case of bronchitis. The Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, said the pontiff underwent "some clinical examinations and...

Cardinal performs rite to restore Vatican altar desecrated by man's naked protest

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The head of St. Peter’s Basilica performed a special rite Saturday after a man stripped naked and hopped on the main altar with the words “Save children of Ukraina” written on his back. Cardinal Mauro Gambetti performed the penitential rite following the...