ROME – First he confirmed the trip to Hungary and Slovakia in September, then he went to the Policlinico Gemelli hospital for surgery and the news immediately went around the world, arousing the concern of the faithful of every country: Pope Francis, then specified the Press Office of the Holy See, must undergo a planned operation, nothing serious.

The Pontiff, this morning as always recited the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square. At the end, he confirmed the double stage of 12-15 September 2021, already anticipated to journalists on the flight from Iraq: “Let’s pray for those who are organizing it,” he said. On 12 September he will be in Budapest for the final mass of the International Eucharistic Congress, then from the afternoon until the 15th he will be in Bratislava, Prešov, Košice and Šaštin.

Immediately after the Angelus, however, the news of the hospitalization spread in the media, confirmed by the director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, with a statement to accredited journalists broadcast on Telegram: “This afternoon His Holiness Pope Francis went to the A. Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome where he will undergo a scheduled surgery for a symptomatic diverticular stenosis of the colon. The surgery – explained Bruni – will be performed by Professor Sergio Alfieri. At the end of the surgery, a new medical bulletin will be issued “.

Photo taken from the video of the Angelus broadcast by the Vatican News channel