Pope Francis recently underwent surgery for a hernia of the abdominal wall, resulting in the suspension of his appointments until June 18th. The operation lasted about three hours and was successful without complications. This is not the first time the Pope has been admitted to the hospital this year, having previously been hospitalized for a respiratory infection. His health also has an impact on the upcoming World Youth Day, which is scheduled to take place in Lisbon in August. With the Pope's absence, organizers have emphasized that there will be no World Youth Day, which was postponed from 2022 due to the pandemic.
Rudolf Gehrig has been working for EWTN since 2013, among other things as a reporter, TV presenter, and producer. From 2019 to 2022 he was chief correspondent for German-speaking Europe at CNA Deutsch before moving to the Italian capital as a Rome correspondent and has since reported for EWTN Vatican and CNA Deutsch directly from the heart of the universal Church.
