Pope Francis undergoes second abdominal surgery in two years.

Pope Francis was admitted to a Rome hospital for a scheduled surgery to repair a hernia caused by scars from a previous surgery in 2021. The surgery is expected to take place on Wednesday afternoon and will be the third hospital stay for Francis since he became pope in 2013. The Vatican statement said he was expected to stay for "a number of days" to allow for "normal post-operation progress and full recovery of his functions". Despite his health issues, Francis maintains a busy schedule and is due to visit Portugal and Mongolia in the coming months.