Pope Francis ‘in good condition and alert’ following operation

Pope Francis (Alessandra Tarantino/AP)

Pope Francis is “in good condition, alert and breathing on his own” a day after he underwent a three-hour operation, which involved removing half his colon, the Vatican said.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni also said on Monday that Francis is expected to stay in Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic, a Catholic hospital, for about seven days “barring complications”.