Pope Francis is recovering well from his second major abdominal operation in two years – and even got a laugh out of his surgeon by joking: ‘When will we do the third one?’

In a medical bulletin, the Vatican said Francis, 86, is on a liquid diet and was well enough to receive communion on Thursday.

He also managed a telephone call to the mother of a boy he baptised in the children’s ward during his last stay, thanking her for a get well soon poster.

Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Wednesday where he underwent a three-hour operation to remove intestinal scar tissue and repair a hernia in his abdominal wall.

Dr Sergio Alfieri, who performed the op, said the Argentine pontiff had reacted well to general anaesthesia and that he expected him to be in hospital for about five to seven days.

But he cautioned that while strong, the pope was elderly and recently had bronchitis so ‘we will take all necessary precautions’ regarding the length of the hospital stay.

Francis has two trips planned for this summer – to Portugal for World Youth Day and to visit the Shrine of Fatima, and then Mongolia, one of the more remote places on his travel schedule.

Dr Alfieri said he saw no medical reason why the pope would have to change his schedule if the recovery went well, as the surgeon expected it to.

The chief surgeon, who also removed part of Francis’ colon in 2021, revealed the Argentine was even well enough to crack a joke, asking: ‘When will we do the third one?’

It is the third hospital stay for Francis since cardinals chose the Argentinian in 2013 as the first Latin American pope. It is the latest in a string of health problems in recent years.

In July 2021, he had part of his colon removed in an operation aimed at addressing a painful bowel condition called diverticulitis.

He said earlier this year that the condition had returned and was affecting his weight. 

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