Pope Francis said on Thursday (22) that he still suffers from the effects of having been under general anesthesia and that, as a result, he does not breathe well. The statements were made when receiving, for an audience, the participants of the Assembly of the Assembly of Works for the help of the Eastern Churches.
“I’m still under the effect of anesthesia, and breathing is not good,” Francis said, after declaring that he would not read the speech prepared for the occasion, but that he would greet the faithful.
The pope was discharged last Friday (16), after nine days in the Gemelli hospital in Rome, due to an operation on an abdominal hernia, in which some adhesions were removed and a mesh was placed on the abdominal wall.
Immediately after discharge, the leader of the Catholic Church resumed his agenda, with several audiences, such as the one he had with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Wednesday (21) and the he had with the Cuban dictator Miguel Díaz-Canel, on Tuesday (20). This Thursday, Lula said at a press conference that he had seen the pope very well and with the energy of “a 30-year-old person.”
However, last Sunday (18), during the Angelus Prayer, it was noticeable that the pontiff had difficulty breathing while speaking to the public.
As explained at the time of discharge, the surgeon Sergio Alfieri, who operated on the abdominal hernia and also, in July 2021, on the colon, the pope “is fine, better than before”, in reference to the pain he felt.
The expert also declared that Francis will continue his recovery in the Vatican, although he has already resumed work. In addition, the doctor assured that all planned trips to Mongolia and Portugal are confirmed.
“He will be able to face them better, because he doesn’t have the malaise he had before. He will be a stronger pope than before”, assured the surgeon.
Presence in Portugal
This Thursday, Pope Francis guaranteed that he will be present at the World Youth Day (WYD), which will take place in the first days of August in Lisbon, Portugal. “I will be with you,” said the pontiff in a video posted on the YouTube channel created by the organizers of the event.
“There are 40 days left, like Lent, until I reach Lisbon. I’m prepared, I already have everything at hand, because I want to go. Some think that due to illness I can’t go, but the doctor told me I can. So, I will be with you,” the pope confirmed.
WYD will take place between the 1st and 6th of August, Francis will arrive on the 2nd of August and will stay in Portugal for four days, with a stopover on the 5th of August at the Sanctuary of Fátima
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