Pope Francis had successfully undergone a three-hour hernia operation on Wednesday, and was described as awake and in good spirits. However, the surgery has reignited concerns about the Pope’s deteriorating health, given his age of 86.
Pope Francis was said to be awake and cheerful Wednesday after undergoing a three-hour hernia operation which has revived concerns over the 86-year-old’s increasingly fragile health.
The Argentine pontiff had been admitted earlier in the day to the Gemelli hospital in Rome, where he is expected to stay for several days.
All papal audiences have been cancelled until June 18 to give the pontiff time to recover.
Francis was suffering from an incisional hernia on the site of a scar from a previous surgery, Alfieri said.
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.
The pope’s hospital stays have sparked concern and fuelled speculation over his future as pontiff.
Francis’ predecessor, Benedict XVI, who died in December, stepped down in 2013 due to failing health.
For about a year, Pope Francis has had to rely on a wheelchair because of recurring knee pain.
Francis continues to travel widely, though he acknowledged in July 2022 that he needed to slow down.
In March, however, he insisted that he had no current plans to quit.
On Wednesday, the Vatican released the schedule for the pope’s trip to Portugal in early August, which will be followed by a trip to Mongolia starting August 31.
Khalil Wakim, with AFP
