Franklin Graham undergoes heart surgery
The surgery involved removing Graham's pericardium
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FIRST ON FOX: Franklin Graham, president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the global charity Samaritan's Purse, underwent heart surgery on Monday at the Mayo Clinic.
"Franklin Graham successfully underwent a specialized heart surgery today at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota," Mark Barber, Graham's spokesman, wrote in a statement to Fox News. "In recent months, Franklin had developed constrictive pericarditis, inflammation, and hardening of the sac around the heart that compresses the heart and prevents it from working properly. The surgery involved removing the pericardium.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}(Photo by Shawn Thew-Pool/Getty Images)
"His doctors expect a full recovery and assured him that he should be able to return to his normal activity and ministry schedule," Barber added. "Mr. Graham said that he is looking forward to multiple opportunities across the globe in 2022 to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and invite people to put their faith in Him. He is also eager to resume riding his motorcycle by springtime. He and his family appreciate everyone’s prayers."
FILE - In this May 1, 2018, file photo, Rev. Franklin Graham speaks during an interview about his latest book in New York. Facebook has apologized for temporarily banning North Carolina evangelist Franklin Graham from its platform over a 2016 post about the state’s "bathroom bill." (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)
Graham, 69, the son of the late evangelist Billy Graham, became the president of Samaritan's Purse in 1979 after the death of the organization's founder, Bob Pierce. He became the vice president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in 1995 and the CEO in 2000.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Graham has strongly supported former President Donald Trump. He suggested that Trump won in 2016 because "God showed up."