On Sunday, the Vatican said that Pope Francis is set to visit the hospital for a planned surgery on his large intestine. This was three hours after the 84-year-old cleric told the audience at St. Peter’s Square that he would be visiting Slovakia and Hungary in September.
CBN News reported that the announcement from the Holy See’s press office didn’t precisely say the time of the surgery. But when it has been carried out, it would be announced. However, the surgery would be performed at a Catholic teaching hospital, Gemelli Polyclinic, by the director of the digestive surgery department, Dr. Sergio Alfieri.
According to the Vatican, Pope Francis, had been diagnosed with “symptomatic diverticular stenosis of the colon,” a reference to a narrowing in the large intestine. A week ago, Francis had asked the public to pray for him specially. Some persons suspected that the need for the special prayers could be as a result of the surgery.
As a young man, Francis had part of one lung removed. Although he doesn’t have a health crisis, he suffers from sciatica, and rarely has painful bouts of the condition in which a nerve affects the lower back and leg. This has caused him to miss scheduled appearances at times.
Previously, Gemelli doctors have performed surgery before on papal patients, including on Pope John Paul II, who had a benign tumor in his colon removed in 1992.
PS: The surgery has been carried out and the Pope is presently recuperating.
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