Pope Francis will undergo surgery for a painful abdominal hernia at a Rome hospital this afternoon after he complained of stomach pains, the Vatican has revealed.
The 86-year-old pontiff will be placed under general anesthesia and is expected to stay in hospital for “several days” to recover.
The pope’s medical team had decided in recent days that surgery was necessary to treat a “recurring, painful and worsening” bowel stricture.
The procedure comes two years after 13 inches of his colon was removed due to inflammation and narrowing of his large intestine.
The Pope will have his last abdominal wall operation today after his weekly audience at the Vatican this morning.
He had gone for a 40-minute check-up at the Gemelli hospital, where he had surgery, yesterday for concerns about stomach pains.
Pope Francis (pictured today in the Vatican before surgery) will undergo surgery on his abdomen on Wednesday afternoon at Rome’s Gemelli hospital after he complained of stomach pains.
Pope Francis leans on his cane at his weekly general audience at the Vatican on the Wednesday before his surgery.
Yet he appeared in high spirits Wednesday morning at his audience in St. Peter’s Square, circling the square in his popemobile and greeting worshipers with smiles and waves.
He also had two meetings before the surgery, the Vatican said.
Sources told La Stampa that after Pope Francis’ colon surgery two years ago, hernias have formed, which risk blocking the intestine.
The Vatican said the pope will undergo open abdominal surgery that can help a surgeon diagnose and treat problems. Francis retains all of his powers as pontiff even while he is unconscious.
“The stay in the health center will last several days to allow the normal postoperative course and full functional recovery,” the Vatican said.
The Gemelli hospital is the favorite choice of the pontiffs to the point of being nicknamed ‘Vatican 3’ by Pope John Paul II, who was treated nine times at Gemelli and spent a total of 153 days there.
In July 2021, Francis spent ten days at Gemelli to remove 13 inches (33 centimeters) of his large intestine.
And in January of this year, the pontiff said that the diverticulosis, or lumps in the intestinal wall, had returned.
Pope Francis emerged from the 2021 surgery saying he could eat whatever he wanted, but complained that he had not responded well to the general anesthesia used in the longer-than-expected procedure.
That reaction partly explains his refusal to have surgery to repair strained knee ligaments that have forced him to use a wheelchair and walker for more than a year.
The fact that he’s back for surgery suggests he had no choice but to treat the intestinal problem, especially given his rigorous travel schedule this summer.
The Pope has been plagued by health problems since he was a young man, due to complications from a severe condition he contracted when he was 20 years old.
When he was 21, he developed pleurisy, the inflammation of the tissue between the lungs and the rib cage.
The condition was so severe that he nearly died and doctors were forced to remove several lung cysts and a small part of his upper right lung, according to the pope’s biographer Austen Ivereigh.
A long recovery process followed, which affected his voice; she is often heard speaking in little more than a whisper.
The pontiff said he had fully recovered from pleurisy, but his reduced lung capacity puts him at greater risk of chronic respiratory diseases.
The 86-year-old pontiff (pictured today) will undergo general anesthesia for the abdominal surgery and is expected to stay in hospital for “several days” to recover.
Pope Francis waves as he rides away in the popemobile at the end of the weekly general audience on the Wednesday before his surgery.
The Argentine Pope also suffers from sciatic nerve pain.
He was hospitalized in March this year with a bout of pneumonia after experiencing shortness of breath at his weekly general audience at the Vatican. He emerged on April 1 saying ‘Still alive!’
When asked about his health in an interview with US Spanish-language network Telemundo broadcast in May, Francis said he was “much better.”
Now I can walk. My knee has been healing. I could barely walk beforehand. Now I can. Some days are more painful than others,’ the Pope said.
Francis added that doctors had caught his respiratory infection just in time.
If we had waited a few more hours, it would have been much more serious. But I was out (of the hospital) in four days,” she said.
The Vatican has recently confirmed that he will have a travel-filled August, with a four-day visit to Portugal in the first week of August and an equally long trip to Mongolia starting on August 31.
Noting that the travel is very likely to continue, the Vatican published on Tuesday the planned itinerary for its visit to Portugal for World Youth Day events from August 2-6.
The itinerary confirms a typically tight schedule that includes all the protocol meetings of an official state visit, as well as multiple events with young people and a day trip to the Marian sanctuary of Fátima.
I am Rakesh Sharma, I associated with Elite News as an Editor, since 2021. I take care of all the news operations like content, budget, hiring and policy making.