The Prefecture of the Papal Household has canceled the audiences Pope Francis was due to hold until June 18, 2023. The news was made public by the Italian diocese of Teramo-Atri on June 7, a few hours after news of the 86-year-old pontiff's hospitalization at the Gemelli Hospital for surgery under general anesthesia.
A delegation from the Abruzzo diocese was due to meet Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square on June 17. The audience was to be part of the year-long celebration of the 900th anniversary of the death of a local saint, St. Berardo (December 19, 1123). However, the diocese confirmed to I.MEDIA that the Prefecture of the Papal Household, in charge of organizing papal audiences, had canceled "the special and general audiences" of the Argentine Pontiff "until June 18, for health reasons."
As a result, the Pope will not be taking part in the World Meeting on Human Fraternity scheduled for June 10 in St. Peter's Square. However, according to the Fratelli Tutti foundation, the meeting — which will be attended by some 30 Nobel Prize winners — will still be held. Before going to Rome's Gemelli Hospital, the Pope encouraged "the organization of this international event," scheduled for 4 p.m., to continue, according to a press release.
On the morning of June 7, the Pope presided over the General Audience as usual, before the Holy See announced that he had been hospitalized for a scheduled operation. The Pope underwent abdominal surgery without complications and will remain at the Gemelli “for several days to allow normal post-operative evolution and full functional recovery,” the Vatican said.
