Pope Francis 'well, awake & alert' after surgery

Vatican City, June 8 Pope Francis is "well, awake and alert" following a successful intestinal surgery, a doctor who operated on the pontiff announced.

Wednesday's surgery to fix an abdominal hernia came two years after the 86-year-old had 13 inches of his colon removed triggered by an inflammation and narrowing of the large intestine.

"The holy father is well, awake and alert," Italy's state-run ANSA news agency quoted surgeon Sergio Alfieri as saying following the operation on Wednesday.

"He (Pope) has already told me his first one-liner," the surgeon added, saying the Pontiff was in good spirits.

Francis quipped immediately after he woke up: "When are we going to do the third one," referring to the fact that Alfieri also operate on him in July 2021, for a colon issue.

In March, he was in hospital for three days due to bronchitis. He was released on April 1.

The Pope has a packed scheduled for the coming months, according to the Vatican.

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