Pope Francis skipped reading a planned speech at a conference today, saying he still had breathing problems following a hernia operation earlier this month.
"I am still under the effects of anaesthesia, my breathing is not good," he told a meeting of the Catholic Oriental Church, saying delegates would instead receive a text of the speech.
Asked by a well-wisher how he felt, the 86-year-old replied: "I'm still alive".
The pope had surgery on 7 June to repair a hernia in his abdominal wall and remove intestinal scar tissue.
He spent nine days in hospital recovering and was discharged last Friday, with his surgeon saying he was "better than before".
Pope Francis has had a busy schedule since returning to the Vatican last Friday, including meeting the presidents of Cuba and Brazil.
He had eight events on his schedule for today.
The pope has complained previously about feeling the effects of anaesthesia long after surgical procedures, including following an operation in 2021 to remove 33cm of his large intestine.
He had cited that reaction in part in refusing surgery to repair strained ligaments in his knee.
His surgeon for both the 2021 and 2023 operations, Dr Sergio Alfieri of Rome’s Gemelli hospital, has stressed that there were no adverse reactions to anaesthesia either time, though he acknowledged that "no-one likes" to be put under and operated on.
Pope Francis had part of one lung removed as a young man following a respiratory infection and had a three-day hospital stay this past spring for bronchitis.
He often speaks in a whisper and can seem out of breath, especially when physically strained.
Part of his rehabilitation after the most recent surgery involved respiratory exercises.
Dr Alfieri urged the pope to take it easy so that the scar can heal and he can fully regain his strength before upcoming trips to Portugal and Mongolia.
Additional reporting PA
