Pope Francis goes to hospital for scheduled surgery on colon

Pope Francis has been admitted to a Rome hospital for scheduled surgery on his colon, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said.

Bruni said the pope, 84, was suffering from symptomatic diverticular stenosis – or restriction – of the colon.

It was not clear when the surgery would take place but Bruni said another statement would be issued afterwards.

Just three hours earlier, the pope had cheerfully greeted the public in St Peter’s Square in keeping with a Sunday tradition and told them he would be going to Hungary and Slovakia in September.

A week earlier, Francis, 84, had used the same traditional appearance to ask the public for special prayers for the pope, which, in hindsight might have been hinting at the planned surgery at Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic.