VATICAN CITY Pope Francis will have abdominal surgery on Wednesday afternoon at Rome’s Gemelli hospital.
He is likely to stay in hospital for “several days” to recover from the hernia surgery, the Vatican revealed.
According to the BBC, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said that the hernia is causing painful, recurrent, and worsening symptoms.
The 86-year-old Pope has faced a series of health problems in recent years, and uses a wheelchair and a cane due to a persistent knee illness.
The Vatican said in a statement that the pontiff’s doctor had decided in recent days that operation was needed.
Bruni said that in the early afternoon, the Pope will undergo a laparotomy and abdominal wall operation under general anaesthesia.
He added that the stay at the health facility will last for multiple days to allow the normal post-surgery course and full functional recovery.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Pope carried out his weekly audience as normal and did not mention his planned surgery.
Pope Francis’ health issues
The day before, he was at the same Rome health facility for a scheduled check-up, months after he was shifted to hospital with bronchitis.
He spent 3 days in hospital in March to cure a lung infection, in the same month that he marked the tenth anniversary of his office.
In 2021, Pope Francis spent ten days in hospital after having a part of his colon removed, to treat a painful bowel condition. He recently said that the problem had returned.
In May, he was pulled out of his Friday audiences due to suffering from fever.
But while his predecessor Benedict XVI resigned in 2013, the Pope has dismissed the possibility of quitting office too.
He is said to have an aide in 2022 that, “You don’t run the Church with a knee but with a head.”
