VATICAN, June 7. /TASS/. Pope Francis is set to undergo a surgery under general anaesthesia on Wednesday, the Holy See press office said.

"At the end of the General Audience on Wednesday morning Pope Francis was admitted to Agostino Gemelli University Hospital where he will undergo will undergo a laparotomy and abdominal wall surgery under general anesthesia in the early afternoon," the office said in a statement.

The surgery became necessary for the Holy Father, 86, due to "an incisional laparocele (hernia) that is causing recurrent, painful and worsening sub-occlusive syndromes," according to the statement. The Pope will remain in the hospital for several days.

On Wednesday morning the Pope held his regular General Audience in St. Peter’s Square.

This is the third time Pope Francis has been hospitalized. In March he was treated for pneumonia and had a rapid recovery. He underwent an abdominal surgery at the same hospital in July 2021, spending a total of 10 days there.

The Pope also has some mobility issues due to knee pain, which prompts him to use a wheelchair or a cane.