Pope Francis greeted pilgrims in St. Peter's Square on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, a few hours before he will be hospitalized for abdominal surgery under general anesthesia. / Daniel Ibanez/CNARome Newsroom, Jun 7, 2023 / 03:01 am (CNA).Pope Francis will undergo abdominal surgery under general anesthesia on Wednesday afternoon, the Vatican has confirmed.The operation was planned by the pope's medical team in recent days after it became necessary due to a hernia that was causing recurrent, painful, and worsening symptoms, according to Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni. Bruni said that Pope Francis will have a laparotomy and abdominal wall reconstruction with prosthetic material in the early afternoon on June 7. The pope will be taken to Rome's Gemelli Hospital immediately after his general audience in St. Peter's Square and will recover in the hospital for several days post-surgery.The news of Pope Francis' surgery comes one day after Italian media reported that he went to Gemell...