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Pope Francis has three-hour surgery for intestinal condition
The Guardian
|June 08, 2023
Pope Francis has undergone intestinal surgery under general anaesthetic and will be in hospital for several days, the Vatican said yesterday.
It is the latest health problem to trouble the 86-year-old leader of the world's 1.3 billion Roman Catholics in recent years, prompting speculation that he may opt to retire. Two years ago, Francis had 33cm (13in) of his colon removed because of an inflammation and narrowing of the large intestine.
In a statement, the Vatican said the pope was undergoing a "laparotomy and abdominal-wall plastic surgery with prosthesis" to treat an "incarcerated incisional hernia" that was "recurring, painful and worsening". In a later statement it said there were no complications after the three-hour operation.
This story is from the June 08, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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