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Vatican: Pope Francis goes to hospital for scheduled tests

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VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis went to a Rome hospital on Wednesday for some scheduled tests, the Vatican said.

It provided no details, including how long the 86-year-old pope would remain at the Gemelli hospital, other than to say the tests were “previously scheduled.”

“The Holy Father has been at Gemelli since this afternoon for some previously scheduled checkups,” read the one-line statement from the Vatican spokesman.

The pope spent 10 days at the Gemelli hospital in July 2021 following surgery for an intestinal narrowing. He had 33 centimeters (13 inches) of his colon removed.

He said soon after that he had recovered fully and could eat normally. But in a Jan. 24 interview with The Associated Press, Francis said the diverticulosis, or bulges in his intestinal wall, had “returned.”

Francis has also been using a wheelchair for over a year for strained ligaments in his right knee, and then a small fracture in his knee. He has said the injury is healing, and he has been walking more with a cane of late.

He has said he resisted having surgery for the knee problems because he didn't respond well to the general anesthesia during the 2021 intestinal surgery.