Pope Francis in hospital for previously scheduled check-up

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis has gone to Rome’s Gemelli hospital for a previously scheduled check-up, his spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a brief statement on Wednesday, March 29.

The Pope, who is 86, earlier in the day took part in the weekly general audience and looked in good health.

Pope Francis suffers from diverticulitis, a condition that can infect or inflame the colon, and he had an operation in 2021 to remove part of his colon.

Earlier this year, he said the condition had returned and that it was causing him to put on weight, but that he was not overly concerned. He did not elaborate.

He also has a problem with his knee and alternates between using a cane and a wheelchair in his public appearances.

Francis told Reuters in an interview last year that he preferred not to have surgery on his knee because he did not want a repeat of long-term negative side effects from anaesthesia that he suffered after the 2021 operation.