ROME — Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, was hospitalized Dec. 8 in preparation for a scheduled surgery to treat an enlarged prostate, the Vatican press office confirmed.

Cardinal Parolin, 65, was being treated at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, according to the press office.

“It is expected that he can leave the hospital in a few days and gradually resume his work,” Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, said Dec. 8.

Prostatic hyperplasia, or enlargement of the prostate, is common in men over 50.