Asked by a wellwisher how he felt, 86-year-old Pope Francis replied “I’m still alive”, but he has had to cancel a planned speech due to breathing difficulties.
Pope Francis has skipped reading a planned speech at a conference, saying he still had breathing problems following a hernia operation this month.
“I am still under the effects of anaesthesia, my breathing is not good,” Francis told a meeting of the Catholic Oriental Church on Thursday, saying delegates would instead receive a text of the speech.
Asked by a wellwisher how he felt, the 86-year-old pope replied: “I’m still alive.”
Busy schedule post surgery
The pope had surgery on June 7 to repair an abdominal hernia.
He spent nine days in hospital recovering and has since met the presidents of Cuba and Brazil, with eight events on his schedule for Thursday.
Two days after being discharged from the hospital, Pope Francis resumed his cherished Sunday custom of greeting the public in St Peter’s Square.
He expressed thanks for the comfort he received after surgery and thanked the crowd shouting “Long live the Pope!”
“This human and spiritual closeness for me was a great help and comfort,” Francis told some 15,000 people in the square.
“Thanks to all, thanks to you, thanks from the heart.”
The 86-year-old pontiff sounded a bit breathless and hoarse at times, but he gestured frequently with his hands for emphasis, adlibbed at times from the prepared speech, and clearly looked delighted to be back to his routine.
— AAP
