Pope Francis photographed on July 4, 2021. Credit: ANDREAS SOLARO / AFP via Getty Images
(CNN) -
Pope Francis will undergo surgery for 'colon diverticulitis,' Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told CNN on Sunday.
It comes a few hours after he attended the traditional Sunday Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square.
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The Holy See's press office said in a statement: “This afternoon His Holiness Pope Francis went to the Gemelli hospital - Rome - for a scheduled surgery for symptomatic stenotic diverticulitis.
The surgery will be in charge of Professor Sergio Alfieri.
At the end of the surgery a medical bulletin will be issued ”.
Diverticulitis is an inflammation caused when people develop small sacs in the walls of the colon.
The sacs or bags are called diverticula.
It usually has no symptoms, but it can cause discomfort and sometimes bleeding.
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It is a common condition that affects more than half of adults in the United States, according to the US National Institutes of Health, and is more common as people age.
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