Pope, upon doctor's advice, to skip Sunday public blessing; surgeon says recovery absolutely normal
Pope Francis, following doctors' advice, will skip Sunday's customary public blessing to allow him to better heal after abdominal surgery ROME -- Pope Francis, following doctors’ advice , will skip Sunday’s customary public blessing to allow him to better heal after abdominal surgery earlier this week, his surgeon told reporters. Sergio Alfieri, who operated on the pontiff, also told reporters at Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome that blood and imaging tests indicate that the 86-year-old pope's recovery is proceeding in an “absolutely normal” manner. The three-hour-long operation on Wednesday under general anesthesia removed increasingly painful scarring that resulted from previous abdominal surgeries as well as repairing a hernia in the abdominal wall, with the insertion of a prosthetic support netting. Alfieri said while Francis' recovery has been medically uneventful, any extra physical exertion, like moving to an armchair to recite the traditional Sunday noon bless...