Pope Francis's health over the years, from sciatica to a partial lung removal

In his native Argentina, Francis, then in his early 20s, suffers from a severe respiratory infection that forces doctors to remove part of one lung. He later recalls that a nurse saved his life at the time, deciding to double the amount of drugs he had been given.

In 2013, the year Francis was elected pope, he told reporters that the hardest thing he had to face since taking office "was an attack of sciatica – really! – that I had the first month, because I was sitting in an armchair to do interviews and it hurt," Catholic News Agency reported.

Sciatica is a kind of nerve pain caused by injury or harm to the sciatic nerve, which runs from the back down the side of the leg, to the foot, according to Cleveland Clinic. The pain radiates along that nerve. The sensation can range from a tingling numbness to severe pain that affects one's ability to walk. 

Francis' sciatica was kept relatively under control for the next few years, until December 2020,  when Francis announced he would have to miss New Year's Eve and New Year's Day celebrations due to a flare-up, Reuters reported at the time.

To this day, Francis is occasionally seen struggling to walk, or using a cane or wheelchair. He receives regular physical therapy because of the condition.

Francis spends 10 days in Gemelli hospital in Rome for what the Vatican says is a narrowing of the large intestine. Doctors remove 33 centimeters (13 inches) of his colon. Francis emerges, saying he can eat whatever he wants, but lamenting he didn't respond well to general anesthesia.

Francis was forced to cancel a trip to Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan after taking a misstep that left him with torn ligaments and a small fracture. 

José María Villalón, an orthopedic surgery specialist and the head doctor at the soccer club Atlético Madrid, was brought in to help, CNN reported.

Villalón told Spanish radio station COPE that Francis's injuries were exacerbated by an "arthritic process which is affecting various joints."

Francis did not want surgery because he reacted badly to anesthesia after his colon operation, Villalón said, adding that he is "very stubborn in the sense that there are surgical solutions that he doesn't want." 

The Pope visited Canada in July 2022, and told reporters it was a "test" of his health, Insider's Hannah Getahun reported.

"I think at my age and with these limitations, I have to save [my energy] to be able to serve the church, or on the contrary, think about the possibility of stepping aside," the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

Francis tells The Associated Press that the diverticulosis, or bulges in his intestinal wall, that had prompted the 2021 surgery has returned, but is under control.

Francis spends three days at Gemelli with a respiratory infection after feeling a sharp pain in his chest and having trouble breathing. Doctors diagnose the issue as acute bronchitis and treat him with intravenous antibiotics.

On June 6, Francis undergoes unspecified medical checks at Gemelli and returns to the Vatican.

On June 7, the Vatican says Francis undergoes abdominal surgery for three hours under general anesthesia and that there were no complications. He's expected to remain at Gemelli for several days.