Rome, 7 June 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Pope Francis has had an abdominal operation that went off without any complications, the Holy See said on Wednesday.

The operation on the 86-year-old head of the Roman Catholic Church lasted three hours and was completed "without complications," it said.

The statement came after the pope was admitted to hospital in order to undergo an urgent operation to repair a hernia in his abdominal area.

He was expected to remain hospitalized following the procedure.

It had previously been announced that the pontiff would have to stay in the Gemelli Hospital in Rome, where the surgery took place, for "several days" to recuperate.

Francis is in the papal suite on the 10th floor of Gemelli Hospital. As a precaution, all audiences with the Catholic leader were cancelled until June 18.

The Holy See did not initially provide any details as to the completion of the operation and if the pope had woken up after his general anaesthetic.

The blinds of the pope's rooms in the hospital were closed in the afternoon but two could be seen being raised in the evening.

The hernia operation was performed under general anaesthetic in a procedure which involves an incision in the abdominal cavity.

Francis' medical team decided in the past few days that the pontiff needed the operation.

The Vatican statement said Francis had been experiencing recurring pain.

The pope spent several hours at the Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday for what the Vatican said was a check-up. The procedure that he had on Wednesday is known as a laparotomy in medical terminology.

In 2021, the pontiff, who is from Argentina, was operated on under general anaesthetic for a bowel condition called diverticulitis. Part of his colon was removed, and he spent 10 days in hospital.

The news of the urgent operation worried many in the Catholic Church. During his intestinal operation almost two years ago, Francis did not tolerate the general anaesthesia well, it was said afterwards.

Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin - number two in the Vatican after the pope - announced on Wednesday that Francis wanted to resume official business as soon as possible and could also work from the hospital.

On the morning of his hospitalization, the pope held the weekly general audience in front of thousands of people in St Peter's Square.

On Tuesday he was already at the Gemelli Hospital for what was called a check-up, but apparently he was being prepared for the operation.

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