Pope Francis is in the hospital recovering from a scheduled intestinal surgery he had on Sunday afternoon, July 4. According to Vatican statements based on the pope’s doctors’ reports, his recovery is going well and he can expect to be in the hospital for about a week.

The pope underwent surgery for symptomatic stenotic diverticulitis, which is a colon condition that causes part of the intestine to become too narrow for food waste to pass through, causing abdominal pain. The surgery involves removing the narrow section and reattaching the healthy parts. It’s a fairly common procedure, and medical experts say a man of Pope Francis’ age should be able to make a full recovery within a week.

Links from the show:

July 7: Pope Francis suffered severe restriction of the bowel, continues to make ‘satisfactory’ progress after surgery

July 6: Pope Francis’ recovery going well, results of post-op tests are good, doctors say

July 5: Pope Francis ‘in good general condition’ after surgery, expected to remain in hospital for one week

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