Pope Francis undergoes successful abdominal surgery

Vatican City – The leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, underwent abdominal surgery on Wednesday, as reported by his spokesperson Matteo Bruni. The surgery, which was aimed at treating a narrowing of the colon, required general anesthesia and was performed at a hospital in Rome. The operation lasted for about three hours, and it was reported to be successful.

The Vatican released a statement thanking the medical team that performed the surgery, read: “The Holy Father, who is currently sedated, has been informed of everything that has happened and is being regularly updated on the progress of his recovery.”

According to the Vatican, Pope Francis will remain at the hospital for several days to recover from the surgery. The hospital has not released any additional information on the pope’s condition, but the Vatican said in a statement that it was “cause for gratitude.”

It was previously reported that Pope Francis underwent a scheduled colon operation earlier this month as he was suffering from diverticular disease, a common condition that causes the formation of small pouches or sacs in the wall of the colon, which can become inflamed and infected. The pope returned to the Vatican after the procedure but was admitted to the hospital again earlier this week for a routine check-up.

The pope, who is 84 years old, has had health issues in the past, including sciatica, which caused him to cancel several public appearances earlier this year.