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ROME — Pope Francis underwent intestinal surgery Wednesday and finished the three-hour procedure without complications, the Vatican said, though the episode raised fresh concerns about the health of the 86-year-old pontiff.
Francis will remain in the hospital for at least five to seven days, his doctor said. The Vatican canceled his meetings until June 18, while also promoting his planned trip to Portugal in August.
The pope should be able to maintain his already-announced travel schedule in the coming weeks and months, as long as he does not overexert himself, his surgeon, Sergio Alfieri, said in postoperative news conference.
Alfieri said that this hadn’t been an emergency intervention but that the pope had made the decision to proceed after experiencing recurring pain.
The pope’s intestinal issues, the surgeon said, appeared related to adhesions and internal scars, possibly from previous surgeries dating back to his days in Argentina, before becoming pope.
After addressing the obstructions, a mesh-like prosthesis was inserted in the pope’s bowels, Alfieri said. The procedure occurred under general anesthesia, which produced no adverse effects, the surgeon said.
Alfieri recounted that upon awaking from his second intestinal surgery in two years, the pontiff joked, “When is the third surgery?”
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In July 2021, Francis had 13 inches of his colon removed to address a stenosis, or narrowing, of his large intestine. He has suggested that concern about going under general anesthesia again influenced his decision to avoid knee surgery to repair strained ligaments that have restricted his mobility.
Despite health issues, Francis, one of the oldest pontiffs in history, has maintained an energetic pace for most of his decade as pope.
On Wednesday morning before the surgery, he participated in his usual general audience at the Vatican and then greeted the faithful in St. Peter’s Square, blessing a child with a hand on his head and making his rounds in the uncovered “popemobile” in the bright sunlight.
Francis was taken to Rome’s largest hospital — Gemelli — in the early afternoon.
This is his second hospitalization this year. He was brought to Gemelli in March with bronchitis.
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While he was in the hospital for only a few days then, it came ahead of the Holy Week and Easter period, adding to concerns. The Vatican sought to reassure the public with daily updates — showing the pope working, eating pizza, baptizing infants and handing out chocolate eggs on the pediatric oncology ward.
Francis, whose knee pain requires him to use a wheelchair and a walking stick, has previously acknowledged that he may need to slow down — or even consider retirement at some point.
“I don’t think I can continue with the same pace of the trips as before,” he said after a trip to Canada last year. “I think at my age and with this limitation, I have to save [my energies up] a bit to be able to serve the church.”
He has said he would be open to stepping down if his health made it impossible to run the church.
His predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, was the first pope to step down in 600 years.
Francis has said it is a “normal option” to think about retirement — but that he wasn’t there yet.
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In addition to a visit to Portugal for World Youth Day in the first week of August, the Vatican has announced a planned trip to Mongolia later that month.
But church officials aren’t blasé about his health.
“It’s no joke, huh?” a Vatican official said Wednesday after he looked up the surgery. “Especially because it’s an elderly person. … I trust the people in whose hands he is, but it’s no walk in the park.” He spoke on the condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the subject.
Faiola reported from Lisbon.
