 Pope Francis on June 7 greeted faithful and members of the Spanish Civil Guard at the end of his weekly audience before being transferred to the hospital, where he will have an operation on his abdomen in the afternoon. The Pope will be operated at Rome's Chamele Hospital, the Vatican said in a statement, adding that the 86-year-old Pontiff was expected to spend several days in hospital. The surgery is the latest in a series of health concerns for the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics who has been Pope for the past 10 years. He arrived at Rome's largest hospital, a short drive from the Vatican at about 11.30 local time.