Vatican: Pope sitting up, working from an armchair after abdominal surgery

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FILE - In this file photo dated Sunday, July 11, 2021, Pope Francis appears on a balcony of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome. Pope Francis went to the hospital Wednesday, June 7, 2023, to undergo abdominal surgery to treat an intestinal blockage, two years after he had his colon removed 33 centimeters (13 inches) because of inflammation and narrowing of the large intestine. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, FILE)

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A mural reproducing Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting ‘Madonna Litta’, currently at the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, is seen on a wall of the Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic in Rome, Friday, June 9, 2023, where Pope Francis is recovering after undergoing abdominal surgery on Wednesday. The Vatican says Pope Francis has had a second good night in the hospital recovering from surgery to remove intestinal scar tissue and repair a hernia in his abdominal wall.(AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

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A statue of Saint John Paul II towers at the entrance of the Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic in Rome, Friday, June 9, 2023, where Pope Francis is recovering after undergoing abdominal surgery on Wednesday. The Vatican says Pope Francis has had a second good night in the hospital recovering from surgery to remove intestinal scar tissue and repair a hernia in his abdominal wall.(AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

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An external view of the Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic in Rome, Thursday, June 8, 2023, where Pope Francis underwent surgery Wednesday to repair a hernia in his abdominal wall, the latest malady to befall the 86-year-old pontiff who had part of his colon removed two years ago. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

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Postcards, some with photographs of Pope Francis, are on sale around St. Peter’s Basilica at The Vatican in Rome, Thursday, June 8, 2023, the day after Pope Francis underwent surgery to repair a hernia in his abdominal wall, the latest malady to befall the 86-year-old pontiff who had part of his colon removed two years ago. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

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Candles with the image of Pope Francis are left at the entrance of the Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic in Rome, Friday, June 9, 2023, where Francis is recovering after undergoing abdominal surgery on Wednesday. The Vatican says Pope Francis has had a second good night in the hospital recovering from surgery to remove intestinal scar tissue and repair a hernia in his abdominal wall.(AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

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ROME (AP) — Pope Francis was “progressively improving” and sitting in an armchair working Friday, following surgery to remove intestinal scar tissue and repair a hernia in his abdominal wall, the Vatican said.

After a restful night, Francis had breakfast and read the newspapers from his armchair, spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement. He quoted doctors as saying Francis’ condition was “progressively improving and the post-operative course is smooth.”

The pontiff spent the afternoon in prayer and at work, and took Holy Communion in the evening, the Vatican said. His IV has been removed.

“Pope Francis is touched by the numerous messages that he continues to receive in these hours,’' the Vatican said, especially from hospitalized children who have been sending him drawings.

The 86-year-old pope was admitted to the Gemelli hospital on Wednesday for his second major abdominal operation in two years, following a 2021 procedure to remove part of his colon. During the procedure, doctors removed adhesions, or internal scarring, on the intestine that had caused a partial blockage. They also repaired a hernia that had formed over a previous scar, placing a prosthetic mesh in the abdominal wall.

Francis is expected to remain at Gemelli for several days.