ROME: Pope Francis said Thursday he was short of breath and still feeling the effects of anesthesia from abdominal surgery two weeks ago.
Francis made the comments to explain why he chose not to deliver a prepared speech to visiting charity workers for Eastern rite churches. Instead, the speech was handed out.
“I’m still under the effect of anesthesia,” Vatican News quoted Francis as saying. “My breathing isn’t good.”
The 86-year-old pontiff underwent three hours of surgery under general anesthesia June 7 to repair a hernia in his abdominal wall and remove intestinal scar tissue. He was discharged on June 16, with his surgeon saying he was “better than before.”
Francis has complained previously about feeling the effects of anesthesia long after surgical procedures, including after an operation in 2021 to remove 33 centimeters (13 inches) 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 anesthesia either time, though he acknowledged that “no one likes” to be put under and operated on.
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.
Alfieri has urged Francis to take it easy so that the scar can heal and he can fully regain his strength before upcoming trips in August to Portugal and Mongolia. Francis hasn't exactly followed doctors' orders, holding a normal slate of audiences in recent days including high-profile meetings this week with the Cuban and Brazilian presidents.
Pope Francis short of breath, says he’s still feeling effects of anesthesia 2 weeks after surgery
https://arab.news/nb6qc
Pope Francis short of breath, says he’s still feeling effects of anesthesia 2 weeks after surgery
- Francis made the comments to explain why he chose not to deliver a prepared speech to visiting charity workers for Eastern rite churches
- “I’m still under the effect of anesthesia,” Vatican News quoted Francis as saying
Protesters to rally in Milan denouncing impact of Winter Games
- The march is set to highlight what activists call an increasingly unsustainable city model marked by soaring rents and deepening inequality
MILAN: Thousands of people were expected to march through Milan on Saturday in a protest over housing costs and urban affordability on the first full day of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics
The march, organized by grassroots unions, housing-rights groups and social center community activists, is set to highlight what activists call an increasingly unsustainable city model marked by soaring rents and deepening inequality.
The Olympics cap a decade in which Milan has seen a property boom following the 2015 World Expo, with locals squeezed by soaring living costs as Italy’s tax scheme for wealthy new residents, alongside Brexit, drew professionals to the financial capital.
According to police estimates, more than 3,000 people are expected to join the march.
It will set off at 3 p.m. (1400 GMT) from the Medaglie d’Oro central square and cover nearly four kilometers (2.5 miles) before ending in Milan’s south-eastern quadrant of Corvetto, a historically working-class district.
A rally last weekend by the hard-left in the city of Turin turned violent, with more than 100 police officers injured and nearly 30 protesters arrested, according to an interior ministry tally.
Saturday’s protest follows a series of actions in the run-up to the Games, including rallies on the eve of the opening ceremony that denounced the presence in Italy of US ICE agents and what activists describe as the social and economic burdens of the Olympic project.
Some groups argue that Olympics are a waste of money and resources while housing prices are unaffordable and public meeting places scarce.
The march is taking place under tight security as Milan hosts world leaders, athletes and thousands of visitors for the global sport event, including US Vice President JD Vance.
Political tensions surfaced at the opening ceremony on Friday night where Vance drew jeers in the packed San Siro stadium when an image of him waving the US flag appeared on a big screen.
