Doctors at Rome's Gemelli hospital on Wednesday said Pope Francis was doing well after a three-hour operation to repair a hernia.

Chief surgeon Doctor Sergio Alfieri called the surgery a success and said the Pope should have no limitations on his trips planned for this summer and other activities after he recovers.

"The surgical operation and the general anaesthesia were well tolerated by the Pope. Now he's awake, he's fine and he's already at work.''

Alfieri told reporters that no other ailments or pathologies were discovered during the operation, and that he expected the 86-year-old pontiff to be in the hospital for 5-7 days.

But he cautioned that while strong, the pope was elderly and a recent bout with bronchitis required that all precautions be taken regarding the timing of his hospital stay.

Pope Francis was taken to the hospital after his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square on Wednesday morning, when he made no mention of the planned operation - the latest in a string of health issues in recent years.

This is the third hospital stay for Pope Francis since cardinals chose the Argentinian in 2013 to become the first Latin American pope.