Rome’s Gemelli hospital shared photographs of some drawings, cards and crafts that children and young adults recovering in its pediatric oncology ward had sent to Pope Francis during his recovery.

Four children from Bambino Gesú Children’s Hospital in Rome sent a colorful drawing to the pope, depicting him in a hospital bed, with the message, “Do not be afraid, we are with you!”

“Pope Francis is alert and conscious and [sends] thanks for the many messages of closeness and prayers that have reached him immediately,” said Dr. Sergio Alfieri.

"The surgery on the pope has finished,” the Vatican press office said in a statement on the evening of June 7. “It was done without complications, and lasted three hours.”

Because his check-up was on Tuesday, a day on which he normally does not have any audiences in the Vatican, it seems reasonable to say the visit was scheduled in advance.

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi has begun a two-day peace mission in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, today, “as the envoy of the Holy Father Francis,” the Vatican announced on June 5.