Pope Francis admitted to hospital for surgery to fix hernia

Pope Francis was admitted to hospital for surgery to correct a hernia, and is now recovering.

The Argentine Pontiff was put under a general anaesthetic for the operation and will remain in hospital for several days, according to the Vatican.

He will not return to active ministry until at least June 18.

At the end of the General Audience on Wednesday, the 86-year-old Pope was admitted to the Gemelli University Hospital to undergo surgery in the early afternoon.

A statement released by the Holy See Press Office said the Holy Father was to have “a laparotomy and abdominal wall surgery under general anaesthesia”.

“The surgery, decided upon over the past few days by the medical team assisting the Holy Father, became necessary due to an incisional laparocele (hernia) that is causing recurrent, painful and worsening sub-occlusive syndromes,” the statement said.

The Press Office added that the Pope would remain in the hospital “to allow for a normal post-operative course and full functional recovery”.

The Pope’s admission to the hospital follows a visit and consultation with doctors at the same facility on Tuesday afternoon.

The surgery comes two years after the Holy Father, 86, underwent surgery to remove 13 inches of his colon because of a narrowing of the large intestine which caused inflammation.

The Italian news agency ANSA reported that the Pope spent about 40 minutes with doctors at the hospital’s centre for elderly patients on Tuesday before he returned to the Vatican shortly before noon.

On Friday the Pope cancelled scheduled meetings after complaining of a fever but returned to the exercise of his duties the following day.

Shortly before Easter, Francis was admitted to hospital for four days with a lung infection after experiencing “breathing difficulties”.

Francis’s health has been slowly but visibly deteriorating in recent years, not least because of knee problems which since 2022 have left him dependent upon a wheelchair for long periods or walking with the help of a cane.

According to Catholic News Agency, this year he has also suffered a recurrence of diverticulitis, the condition for which he received surgery in 2021.

In spite of his health difficulties the Vatican has nevertheless announced the pope’s intention to visit Mongolia at the end of August.

The Holy Father will then fly to Lisbon to attend the World Youth Day festival in Portugal between August 2 and August 6.

The Pope has admitted drafting a letter of resignation in the event of illness making it impossible for him to discharging his duties.

He said in an interview earlier this year, however, that he had no intention of relinquishing his office because he believed the Petrine ministry was for life.

(Photo: AFP via Getty Images)

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