Pope Francis went to a Rome hospital in Italy on Sunday for scheduled surgery on his large intestine, the Vatican said.

The news came just three hours after Francis had cheerfully greeted the public in St. Peter’s Square and told them he will go to Hungary and Slovakia in September.

Spokesman Matteo Bruni said the pope, 84, was due to undergo the surgery later on Sunday for an intestinal condition that tends to affect older people and can cause abdominal pain.

The brief announcement from the Holy See‘s press office didn’t say exactly when the surgery would be performed but said there would be an announcement when the surgery is complete.

It is the pope’s first known treatment in hospital since he was elected to the papacy in 2013.

Pope Francis in hospital for treatment

The Vatican said the 84-year-old pope had been diagnosed with “symptomatic diverticular stenosis of the colon,” a reference to a narrowing in the large intestine.

The surgery was to be performed by Dr. Sergio Alfieri, the director of Gemelli’s digestive surgery department.

In 2014, a year after he was elected pope, Francis was forced to cancel several engagements because of what was believed to be a stomach ailment.

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