Pope Francis, 86, may have surgical procedure on his stomach on Wednesday afternoon at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, the Vatican mentioned in an announcement.

It added that his medical crew had determined in latest days that surgical procedure was required and that he was anticipated to remain in hospital for “a number of days” to get better.

He may have the operation on his belly wall below a basic anaesthetic, the Vatican mentioned.

Francis was as a consequence of be taken to hospital following his weekly viewers on the Vatican on Wednesday morning, the place he made no point out of the deliberate operation.

He had spent 40 minutes having a check-up at Gemelli hospital on Tuesday.

The pope, who marked the tenth anniversary of his hold forth in March, typically makes use of a wheelchair or a cane to stroll due to persistent knee ache.

In July 2021 he had a part of his colon eliminated in an operation aimed toward addressing a painful bowel situation referred to as diverticulitis. He mentioned earlier this 12 months that the situation had returned.

The pope final 12 months mentioned he did not need to have an operation on his knee as a result of the final anaesthesia for his colon surgical procedure had introduced unpleasant side-effects.