Pope Francis: 86-year-old emerges from three-hour emergency hernia operation with ‘no complications’

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Pope Francis is expected to remain at Rome’s Gemelli hospital for days

Pope Francis has emerged from a three-hour emergency hernia operation with ‘no complications’, the Vatican has confirmed. The 86-year-old went straight to Gemelli to repair the hernia in his abdominal wall after holding an audience on Wednesday morning.

According to sources, Pope Francis was suffering from a “painful and worsening” hernia which had most likely formed over a scar from his 2021 colon surgery. The pontiff previously had part of his colon removed due to inflammation of the large intestine.

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He is expected to remain at Rome’s Gemelli hospital for days but has been given the ‘ok’ to travel once he recovers.

In March, Pope Francis was unexpectedly taken to hospital for tests after complaining of breathing difficulties. He spent a few days in hospital for treatment and was later discharged - proclaiming “I’m still alive!”.

The pontiff is more susceptible to respiratory problems due to having part of his lung removed while training to be a priest in his 20s.

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