On Wednesday afternoon, Pope Francis will have abdominal surgery at Rome’s Gemelli hospital.

According to the Vatican, he would be in the hospital for “several days” to recover from the hernia surgery.

According to Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni, the hernia is “causing recurrent, painful, and worsening” symptoms.

The 86-year-old has struggled with health concerns in recent years, and he now walks with a cane and uses a wheelchair due to a severe knee ailment.

The Vatican announced in a statement that the pontiff’s medical staff had just decided that surgery was necessary.

“In the early afternoon, he will undergo a laparotomy and abdominal wall surgery… under general anaesthesia,” Mr Bruni explained.

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

Earlier on Wednesday, Pope Francis held his weekly audience as usual, without mentioning his impending operation.

The Pope had been in the same Rome hospital the day before for a routine check-up, months after being admitted with bronchitis.

He was hospitalized for three days in March to cure a lung illness, the same month he observed the tenth anniversary of his pontificate.

Pope Francis spent 10 days in the hospital in 2021 after having a portion of his intestines removed to treat a severe intestinal disease. He recently disclosed that the complaint had been returned.

Phe missed his Friday audiences last month owing to a sickness.

However, unlike his predecessor Benedict XVI, who resigned in 2013, the Pope has ruled out leaving office.

“You don’t run the Church with your knees, but with your head,” he allegedly told an aide last year.

During his decade as Pope, the Pope is thought to have been in generally good health.

He keeps a busy itinerary and is scheduled to visit Portugal and Mongolia in August.