VATICAN CITY, Holy See — All Pope Francis's audiences have been cancelled until June 18, the Vatican's press office told AFP Wednesday, as the pontiff prepared to undergo an operation on a hernia.

"As a precautionary measure, all audiences are suspended until June 18," the press officer said, after the 86-year-old was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital for abdominal surgery under general anesthesia. — Agence France-Presse