Pope says he’s leading ‘totally normal life’ after surgery

Pope Francis said Wednesday he is leading a “totally normal life” after intestinal surgery in July.

“Now I can eat everything, which was not possible before … I lead a totally normal life,” Francis said on COPE, a Spanish radio station, according to Reuters.

Francis said surgeons removed 13 inches of his intestine.

He added that some doctors wanted him to keep taking antibiotics instead of undergoing the procedure, but a nurse convinced the pope he should go into surgery to treat a narrowing colon.

“He saved my life,” the pope, who spent 11 days in the hospital after the procedure, said of the nurse, Reuters reported.

The surgery went smoothly, with Pope Francis resuming public appearances early in August.

The pope during the interview also denied reports that he would be stepping down after a report in an Italian newspaper.

“I don’t know where they got it from last week that I was going to resign … it didn’t even cross my mind,” the pope stated.

The newspaper reported the pope would step down around his 85th birthday in December, adding that there was talk of holding a secret conclave in which cardinals choose the next pope. 

“Whenever a pope is ill there is always a breeze or a hurricane about a conclave,” Pope Francis said, while outlining the upcoming events he has planned.