POPE'S POST-OPERATIVE PHASE "PROCEEDING REGULARLY"

VATICAN CITY, OCT 9, 1996 (VIS) - Following is the second medical bulletin from Gemelli Clinic, released through the Holy See Press office, following Pope John Paul's appendectomy yesterday morning:

"The post-operative phase of the Holy Father is proceeding regularly.

"The patient, who slept several hours during the night, showed no signs of a rise in temperature and did not feel any pain.

"The arterial pressure, the cardiac frequency, breathing functions and the main hematological and metabolical parameters have remained within the norm.

"His Holiness has started taking liquids orally.

"This morning he got up and walked for several minutes.

"In a meeting with the attending physicians he conversed at length.

"The definitive histological diagnosis has confirmed the one undertaken during the operation, which was already made public in the medical bulletin from October 8.

"In coming days a new communique will be released."
OP/POPE MEDICAL BULLETIN/... VIS 961009 (150)