Pope Francis, 86, begins a convalescence lasting several days on Thursday June 8, 2023, the day after an operation for an abdominal hernia. The operation has rekindled questions about his health.
The Argentine Jesuit, who, according to the Vatican, had a good night’s sleep, has experienced recurring medical problems since succeeding Benedict XVI in 2013, who resigned for health reasons and died in December at the canonical age of 95.
No resignation… yet
Francis has said on several occasions that he would consider resigning – like Benedict XVI – if his health began to fail, but he recently affirmed that this was not on the agenda.
Claudian because of hip and knee pain, and now mostly in a wheelchair or with a cane, Francis had presided over the weekly audience in St. Peter’s on Wednesday morning, in front of thousands of faithful, before going to Rome’s Gemelli hospital.
There, he underwent a three-hour operation under general anaesthetic on Wednesday afternoon to remove painful “adhesions” on his abdominal wall, the consequences of his colon operation in July 2021.