Well-Wishers Hail Recovering Pontiff

Roses, recipes and warm wishes poured in for Pope John Paul II, who was feeling just a bit of pain and pleasing doctors with his recovery the day after surgery to remove an inflamed appendix. John Paul even took a few steps, sat in an armchair and sipped tea, his doctors said. Dr. Corrado Manni, chief anesthesiologist at Gemelli Hospital, where the pope has been hospitalized since Sunday, said the pontiff’s condition was “excellent, above the average” for a 76-year-old man with health problems. The pope has had six operations since he was shot in the stomach by a would-be assassin in 1981. His surgery Tuesday also confirmed that a benign bowel tumor removed in 1992 had not returned. The Vatican said it received a flood of telegrams, letters, faxes and e-mail wishing the pontiff well.