Pope Francis will undergo an operation for an abdominal hernia, the Vatican announced on Wednesday.
The pontiff is at a Rome hospital, where he is expected to stay for “several days.”
The 86-year-old pope is suffering from a hernia, which is “causing recurrent, painful and worsening” symptoms, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement.
Pope Francis, 86, canceled meetings on May 26 due to a fever. He resumed his normal activities the next day.
At the end of March, he was hospitalized for four days for a lung infection.
Since early 2022 the pope has suffered from knee pain. He started to have difficulty standing and walking and has been using a cane and wheelchair for over a year.
He has also dealt this year with a recurrence of diverticulitis, a painful inflammation of bulges in the large intestine, for which he was operated on in July 2021.
Despite his recent medical challenges, the Vatican recently announced the pope’s intention to visit Mongolia Aug. 31–Sept. 1.
Francis is also scheduled to be in Lisbon, Portugal, for World Youth Day Aug. 2–6. The trip also includes a visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. – with reports from AFP and CNA
