Pope Expected to Recover Fully From Broken Leg

VATICAN CITY — Pleased with the initial stages of Pope John Paul II’s recovery from an operation to repair a broken thighbone, doctors said Saturday that he should be able to resume a normal life.

The 73-year-old Pope was resting comfortably without pain, fever or complications, papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro told reporters at a Vatican briefing.

“I found him in good spirits, very positive,” Navarro said.

He said the Pope hoped to record his traditional Sunday noontime message for transmission to pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square today.

Emilio Tresalti, director of Gemelli Hospital, where surgeons replaced a piece of the femur from John Paul’s right leg with a metal prosthesis, said the Pope passed a tranquil first night with excellent prospects for a full recovery.

The pontiff will remain at the big Catholic hospital for two or three weeks, doctors say. He will need extensive therapy after that and will walk with a cane for a time, but should not have a limp once recovery is complete, his doctors said.

“There will be certain things like skiing that he will not be able to do, but the majority of people don’t have any problems resuming a normal life after this procedure,” Tresalti said.

John Paul was still groggy Saturday morning, but ate a light breakfast and planned later to concelebrate Mass with one of his secretaries, Navarro said. The Pope also chatted with Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican secretary of state, according to the papal spokesman.

In the Pope’s absence, Sodano, effectively the Vatican’s prime minister, is the senior official of the 950-million-member Roman Catholic Church, and Navarro said he will represent John Paul at upcoming meetings with visitors such as the president of Estonia and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl. The accident forced cancellation of a weekend papal visit to Sicily and a scheduled trip to Belgium later this month.

The Vatican Curia will look after routine affairs of state, deferring important decisions until the Pope’s return. As his recovery continues, John Paul will likely resume work in his hospital room.