Pope Francis stands outside a car during the general audience June 30, 2021. / Pablo Esparza/CNA.

Rome, Italy, Jul 4, 2021 / 08:12 am (CNA).

Pope Francis is at a Rome hospital Sunday to undergo a surgery to relieve stricture of the colon caused by diverticulitis, the Holy See Press Office stated.

The statement said the pope was taken to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital in the afternoon July 4 for the scheduled operation, which will be performed by Dr. Sergio Alfieri.

The Vatican said it would make another statement at the conclusion of the surgery.

Colonic stricture, also called stenosis, is a condition in which part of the large intestine becomes narrower than usual. It can become dangerous if it is too narrow to let food safely pass through. Diverticulitis, a common condition that involves the formation of small bulges or sacs on the wall of the colon, can cause the stricture.

Pope Francis last underwent an operation in 2019, for cataracts.

Early this year, the 84-year-old pontiff was forced to miss several public events due to a recurrence of the sciatic pain that struck him at the end of 2020.

Francis has suffered from the painful condition for a number of years.

Generally healthy, at the beginning of 2020, the pope canceled some of his public audiences due to having a cold.

After his personal physician died from the coronavirus in January, Pope Francis appointed internalist Roberto Bernabei as his doctor.

Bernabei is a specialist in aging and director of the School of Specialization in Geriatrics at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome.