Pope Francis, seated in a wheelchair, during the weekly audience at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican on Wednesday (Photo: NBC News)
Metropolis Desk-
Following the removal of a portion of his colon two years ago, Pope Francis, 86, underwent surgery on Wednesday to repair a hernia in his abdominal wall.
Francis had to be under general anesthesia for the three-hour procedure, but according to the Vatican, there were no difficulties.
The pope was awake and fine following the procedure, according to the surgeon who carried it out, and the hernia was corrected.
The pope was anticipated to spend several days at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome.
All pope audiences were postponed till June 18 as a precaution, according to the Vatican.
In a statement, the Vatican claimed that the procedure was required to treat a laparocele, a hernia that occasionally develops over a scar that typically results from prior surgery. In the same Roman hospital on Tuesday, Francis had a checkup that lasted around 40 minutes. He missed five days of performances last month owing to a fever and spent five days at the Gemelli hospital at the end of March with a lung infection.
Because of ongoing knee pain, the pope, who celebrated the 10th anniversary of his pontificate in March, frequently utilizes a wheelchair or a cane to go around. He underwent surgery in July 2021 to treat diverticulitis, a painful intestinal condition, by having a portion of his colon removed.
He claimed that the disease had reappeared early this year.
Francis complained that he had not responded well to the general anesthetic used in the longer-than-expected procedure, even though he had said he could eat whatever he wanted after the 2021 surgery.
Given the demanding summer travel schedule and the fact that he is returning for surgery, it appears that he was forced to address the intestinal problem.
When he was a young man, the Argentine pope underwent surgery to remove a portion of one lung. Along with that, he experiences sciatica discomfort.
His refusal to have surgery to fix strained knee ligaments that have required him to use a wheelchair and walker for more than a year was partially explained by that reaction.
Source – NBC News
