Pope undergoes scheduled colon surgery

By Vatican News staff writer

On Sunday afternoon, 4 July, Pope Francis was taken to A. Gemelli Policlinic in Rome where he will undergo scheduled surgery. The Pope recited the Angelus as usual with the faithful gathered in St Peter's Square. He left Casa Santa Marta in the afternoon.

The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, confirmed the information through a statement to accredited journalists sent through Telegram: "This afternoon, His Holiness Pope Francis was taken to A. Gemelli Policlinic in Rome where he will undergo a scheduled surgery for a symptomatic diverticular stenosis of the colon."

Performing the surgery is Prof. Sergio Alfieri. Dr. Alfieri is in the hospital's Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and heads the Digestive Surgery Complex Operational Unit. He is specialized in general, digestive, colon-rectal, stomach and pancreatic surgery.

Another "medical bulletin will be issued at the end of the surgery", the press office's message concluded.