Pope Francis recovering after abdominal surgery

'The operation is over: it went without complications and lasted three hours,' the Vatican said

Pope Francis is expected to remain in hospital for several days to allow for full recovery. EPA

Pope Francis has had abdominal surgery at Gemelli Hospital in Rome.

The Vatican said there were no complications after the three-hour surgery, during which the Pope was under general anaesthetic.

The pontiff, 86, is expected to remain in hospital for several days. The Pope had been suffering from a “painful and worsening” hernia that formed over a previous scar.

"The operation is over: it went without complications and lasted three hours," the Vatican press office said in a short statement posted on Telegram.

Before the surgery, the Vatican said doctors would perform a “laparotomy and abdominal wall plastic surgery with prosthesis” to treat a “recurrent, painful and worsening” constriction of the intestine.

In July 2021, the Pope spent 10 days at Gemelli to remove 33cm of his large intestine to treat severe inflammation and narrowing of the colon.

In an interview in January, he said the diverticulosis, or bulges in his intestinal wall, that prompted the 2021 surgery, had returned.

He appeared in good form on Wednesday morning and attended two meetings before his audience in St Peter’s Square.

A laparotomy is open abdominal surgery. It can help a surgeon diagnose and treat issues.

“The stay at the health facility will last several days to allow for the normal post-operative course and full functional recovery,” the Vatican said.

Pope Francis went to the Gemelli on Tuesday for medical tests.

In late May, he cleared his schedule after coming down with a fever, two months after he was treated for bronchitis in hospital.

The Argentinian pope had part of his lung removed when he was a young man.

He also suffers from sciatica nerve pain and has been using a wheelchair and walker for more than a year because of strained ligaments in his knee.

Pope Francis has had a packed schedule of late, with several audiences each day.

The Vatican recently confirmed a busy August, when the Holy See and Italy are usually on holiday, with a four-day visit to Portugal in the first week of August and a similarly long trip to Mongolia starting on August 31.

In a sign that those trips were likely to go ahead, the Vatican released the planned itinerary for his visit to Portugal.

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It confirms a typically busy schedule that includes all the protocol meetings of an official state visit, as well as youth events and a day trip to the Marian shrine at Fatima.