Pope Francis has been taken to the hospital to undergo surgery on his intestine.
Sky News reports that the Vatican has revealed the operation will be under general anesthetic and that the pope will be staying in the hospital for an undisclosed number of days.
This comes just a day after the major religious figure – who marked his 10th year as pope in March – had medical tests at a hospital in Rome.
Some years ago, the pontiff had 13 inches of his colon removed due to inflammation and narrowing of the large intestine.
The 86-year-old is also missing a part of one of his lungs, which he had removed in Argentina when he was young. Pope Francis also suffers from knee pain and usually uses a cane to help him walk.
Earlier this year, in March, the pope encountered problems with his breathing after greeting the General Audience in St Peter's Square.
He was taken to the hospital to be examined by doctors, who learned that he had been suffering from a respiratory infection and that he needed to undergo sufficient treatment for a number of days.
The following day the Vatican issued a second statement sharing that his "clinical picture is gradually improving," and adding at the time that he would continue working from his suite surrounded by staff and a security team, per Reuters.
The pontiff took over from his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, in 2013, after the latter voluntarily stepped down for health reasons. This marked the first time in centuries that a pope had chosen to step down.
The current pope was born in Argentina which means he is the first Latin American Pope to be at the helm of the Roman Catholic church. He was previously known as Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio before adopting the papal name Francis in honor of St. Francis of Assisi.
Though popes typically reside in more upscale quarters - a tradition that has lasted almost a century - Pope Francis opted to live in a simple two-room apartment.
In his historic greeting speech after becoming the first non-European leader of the church in more than 1,000 years, he told the audience, per CBS News: "Let us begin this journey, the bishop and people, this journey of the Church of Rome, which presides in charity over all the Churches, a journey of brotherhood in love, of mutual trust. Let us always pray for one another."
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