Pope Francis said on Wednesday that he was feeling “much better” after two weeks suffering from bronchitis, though he again asked aides to read his address.
Francis, who had part of his lung removed as a young man, told a weekly public audience that he still gets tired if he talks too much.
The Pope, who will celebrate his 87th birthday on December 17, fell ill with the flu on November 25 and was forced to cancel his planned trip to Dubai to attend the United Nations Climate Conference. He later revealed that he had been diagnosed with acute infectious bronchitis, which caused breathing difficulties.
This was his second bout of severe bronchitis this year, as he was hospitalized for three days in the spring receiving intravenous antibiotics.
Francis walked to the podium in the Vatican auditorium on crutches and smiled brightly at the cheering crowd. He seemed in good spirits and at the end of the audience received several bishops who came to speak with him privately.
Explaining why he lets an assistant read his words, he said: “I’m better, but if I talk too much I get tired.”
Francis then briefly asked for prayers for all those suffering from the war, including the people of Ukraine, Israel and Gaza.
“Wars are always lost,” he said. “No one wins, everyone loses. The only winners are the weapons manufacturers.”
To avoid worsening of his condition due to changing temperatures, Francis has given his Sunday blessings every Sunday for the past two weeks in a chapel in the Vatican rather than in the open window of his study overlooking St. Peter’s Square.
However, the Vatican has confirmed that Pope Francis will make his annual visit on Friday to pray in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary at the Spanish Steps in Rome to mark the important Catholic holiday and officially kick off Christmas in Rome.
The pope also plans to visit the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore again on that day, the Day of the Immaculate Conception, to pray in front of one of his favorite statues of Mary.