On Wednesday afternoon, Pope Francis is scheduled to undergo surgery on his abdomen at Rome’s Gemelli hospital.
The Vatican has announced that he is expected to remain in the hospital for several days to recover from the hernia operation. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni explained that the hernia has been causing recurring, painful, and worsening symptoms.
In recent years, the 86-year-old pontiff has encountered several health challenges. He relies on a cane and a wheelchair due to a persistent knee ailment. The upcoming surgery adds to the list of medical issues he has faced.
“In the early afternoon he will undergo a laparotomy and abdominal wall surgery… under general anaesthesia,” said Mr Bruni.
He added. “The stay at the health facility will last several days to allow the normal post-operative course and full functional recovery.”
On Tuesday, the Pope was at the same Rome hospital for a scheduled check-up, months after he was hospitalised with bronchitis.
He spent three days in hospital in March to treat a lung infection, in the same month that he marked the 10th anniversary of his pontificate.
On what would have been her 150th birthday, let us ask Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, the patron saint of missions, for the grace to love Jesus as she loved Him, the grace to offer Him our trials and our sorrows, as she did, so that He might be known and loved by all.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) June 7, 2023
In 2021, Pope Francis spent 10 days in hospital after having a part of his colon removed, in a bid to address a painful bowel condition.
Last month, he pulled out of his Friday audiences due to a fever.
But while his predecessor Benedict XVI quit in 2013, the Pope has dismissed the possibility of leaving office too.
“You don’t run the Church with a knee but with a head,” he is said to have told an aide last year.
The Pope continues to maintain a busy schedule, and is due to visit Portugal and Mongolia from August.