June 07, (THEWILL) – The Vatican has revealed that Pope Francis will undergo an operation for an abdominal hernia at a Rome hospital, where he is expected to stay for several days.
According to Matteo Bruni, the Vatican’s spokesperson, the 86-year-old pope, who underwent colon surgery in 2021, is suffering from a hernia, which is causing recurrent, painful and worsening symptoms.
The pope had a brief visit to the Gemelli hospital in Rome on Tuesday, during which he underwent clinical tests.
“In the early afternoon he will undergo a laparotomy and abdominal wall surgery under general anaesthesia”, Bruni said.
A laparotomy is a surgical incision into the abdominal cavity.
“The stay at the health facility will last several days to allow the normal post-operative course and full functional recovery,” the Vatican stated.
Pope Francis, who has been the leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics for a decade, has suffered increasing health issues over the past year.
In 2021 he underwent surgery at Gemelli for a type of diverticulitis, an inflammation of pockets that develop in the lining of the intestine.
Francis was also hospitalised for three nights at the end of March with bronchitis, which was cured with antibiotics.
