The operation that Pope John Paul had yesterday will likely prevent him from speaking for an extended time.
But Vatican officials have indicated he could still run the Roman Catholic Church.
The tracheotomy, in which a breathing tube was inserted in the pope's throat, was completed successfully, although it's expected to limit his ability to communicate in the short run.
A Vatican cabinet undersecretary who visited the pontiff after the operation said that the pope could speak, but doctors are advising against it.
The prefect of a Vatican tribunal said recently that John Paul could run the church even if he couldn't speak, because the pope could express his will through writing or "significant gestures."