ROME (AP) — Pope Francis went to the hospital on Wednesday to undergo abdominal surgery to treat a bowel obstruction, two years after he had 33 centimeters (13 inches) of his colon removed due to a narrowing of the colon.
The Vatican said Francis, 86, would be put under general anesthesia for Wednesday afternoon’s procedure and would be hospitalized at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital for several days.
Just after 11am, Francis’ Fiat 500 left the Vatican with an escort and arrived at the Gemelli about 20 minutes later.
The Pope is undergoing a “laparotomy and prosthetic abdominal plastic surgery” to treat a “recurrent, painful and worsening” narrowing of the bowel, according to the Vatican.
A laparotomy is open abdominal surgery. It can aid a surgeon in both diagnosing and treating problems. The statement said Francis was suffering from a blocked laparocele, a hernia that formed over a previous scar.
“The stay in the health facility will last several days to allow for the normal postoperative course and full recovery of functionality,” the statement said. An update was only to be expected after the intervention.
Francis also remains unconscious and hospitalized at the head of the Vatican and the 1.3 billion-member Catholic Church.
In July 2021, Francis spent 10 days at Gemelli’s to have 33 centimeters (13 inches) removed of his colon. He had suffered severe inflammation and narrowing of the colon, the Vatican said. In an interview with The Associated Press in January, Francis said the diverticulosis, or bulge in his intestinal wall, that prompted the 2021 surgery had returned.
After the operation in 2021, Francis had said he could eat whatever he wanted, but he complained he hadn’t responded well to the general anesthesia used during the longer-than-expected procedure. This reaction partly explains his refusal to undergo surgery for a ligament strain in his knee that has required him to use a wheelchair and walker for over a year.
The fact that he will have to undergo another operation suggests he was left with no choice but to treat the bowel problem, especially given the busy travel schedule this summer.
The Argentine Pope had part of a lung removed as a young man. He also suffers from sciatic nerve pain. At the end of March, Francis spent three days with Gemelli for acute bronchitis during which he was being treated with intravenous antibiotics. He showed up on April 1 and said, “Still alive!”
Francis initially went to Gemelli for medical tests on Tuesday, the Vatican said. Details were not announced at the time.
The 86-year-old appeared in good condition at his audience in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday morning and sped across the square in his popemobile to greet the faithful. He had previously had two meetings, the Vatican said.
Francis has had a busy schedule lately with multiple listeners a day. The Vatican recently confirmed a busy August, during which the Holy See and Italy are normally on vacation, with a four-day visit to Portugal in the first week of August and a similarly lengthy trip to Mongolia from August 31.
In a sign that travel was well underway, the Vatican on Tuesday released the planned itinerary for Francis’ visit to Portugal for World Youth Day events from August 2-6. The itinerary confirms a typically busy schedule that includes all the protocol meetings of an official state visit, as well as several events with young people and a day trip to the Marian Shrine in Fatima.