Pope Francis underwent hernia surgery on Wednesday afternoon, the Vatican announced. He added that it lasted three hours and was done without complications.

The operation was led by Professor Sergio Alfieri. The Pope operates for the second time. The first time occurred two years ago, when the Pope underwent a planned operation in which doctors removed part of his colon.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni announced earlier that the Pope had gone to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital after his morning general audience, where he will undergo abdominal surgery under general anesthesia and remain hospitalized for several days.

According to the ANSA agency, the Pope has canceled his program until June 18 and will devote himself to recovery.

Intestinal problems have long plagued Pope Francis. Currently, the eighty-six year old Holy Father spent ten days at Gemelli Hospital in July 2021 because of them. During the operation, doctors removed 33 centimeters of his colon.

Shortly afterward, František announced that he had fully recovered and could eat normally. But in January this year, in an interview with the AP agency, he said that his diverticulosis, or protrusion of his intestinal wall, had “come back”.

The Pope also has knee problems and therefore often has to use a wheelchair or walk with a cane. The pain he suffered made his assignments uncomfortable from time to time and he was even forced to cancel some of them.

In late March, he spent several days in the hospital with bronchitis.

A whole team of experts helps him solve his problems. Among them is José María Villalón, sports medicine expert and head doctor of the Atlético de Madrid football team. In November about it he informed Catholic Press Agency.

In an interview with the Spanish Bishops’ Conference radio station, COPE, Villalón described what it was like to heal the head of the Catholic Church. According to him, Pope Francis is “a very good patient and very stubborn in the sense that there are surgical procedures that he does not want.” “We had to offer him a more conservative procedure so that he agreed to it,” he added.

Pope Francis celebrated his 86th birthday in December, surpassing the age of his predecessor Benedict XVI who stepped down in 2013, previously Pope John Paul II. he died at the age of 84. In March, ten years passed since Francis assumed the papal throne.