July 5, 2021

There has been an avalanche of prayers and get-well wishes from across the world for Pope Francis as he was billed for colon surgery. President Muhammadu Buhari has also sent a get-well message to the Pope.

The president’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, confirmed this in a statement in Abuja on Sunday.

Buhari called for prayers from Nigerians and the global community as the Pontiff goes in for this routine operation.

On Sunday afternoon, 4 July, Pope Francis was taken to A. Gemelli Policlinic in Rome where he will undergo scheduled surgery. The Pope recited the Angelus as usual with the faithful gathered in St Peter’s Square. He left Casa Santa Marta in the afternoon.

The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, confirmed the information through a statement to accredited journalists sent through Telegram: “This afternoon, His Holiness Pope Francis was taken to A. Gemelli Policlinic in Rome where he will undergo a scheduled surgery for a symptomatic diverticular stenosis of the colon.”

Performing the surgery is Prof. Sergio Alfieri. Dr. Alfieri is in the hospital’s Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and heads the Digestive Surgery Complex Operational Unit. He is specialized in general, digestive, colon-rectal, stomach and pancreatic surgery.

Another “medical bulletin will be issued at the end of the surgery”, the press office’s message concluded.