Francis spent 10 days in hospital to remove 13 inches of his large intestine after suffering severe inflammation and narrowing of the colon.

One day after visiting Rome’s Gemelli Hospital for what was described by the Vatican as a planned checkup, Pope Francis will be admitted and is scheduled to undergo surgery for what has been described as an “incisional hernia.

The Vatican said Francis, 86, would be put under general anesthesia for the procedure Wednesday afternoon and would be hospitalized at Rome’s Gemelli hospital for several days.

Pope Francis is going the hospital for surgery on his intestine, two years after he had 33 centimeters (13 inches) of his colon removed because of an inflammation and narrowing of the large intestine

The Vatican said the procedure was designed to address an intestinal obstruction caused by a “painful” hernia and he would be hospitalized for several days.

Pope Francis appeared at his weekly general audience on Wednesday, a day after he went to the hospital for a checkup. The Vatican provided no details about the medical tests Francis underwent on Tuesday at Rome’s Gemelli hospital.

Pope Francis went to Rome's Gemelli hospital for a brief check-up on Tuesday and has returned to the Vatican, the Holy See's press office said in a statement.