Francis says he had pneumonia when hospitalised in March

Pontiff also says Vatican would help return Ukrainian children taken to Russia.

Pope Francis speaks to journalists during the flight from Budapest to Rome on Sunday. Picture: AFP

Pope Francis said on Sunday that he had suffered from a “sudden, strong illness”, which he described as pneumonia, when hospitalised in late March, and acknowledged that ageing was slowing him down, but said he still hoped to continue his international travel.

The Pope, 86, was speaking to reporters on his flight back to Rome after a three-day visit to Hungary.

“I had severe acute pneumonia in the lower part of the lung”, accompanied by “a very high fever”, but never lost consciousness, Pope Francis said of the condition that sent him to a Rome hospital for a three-night stay.

At the time the Vatican described the Pope’s condition as “infectious bronchitis”.

“You see it’s not the same as two years ago,” the Pope said of his health, acknowledging the knee ailment that has required him to use a cane and sometimes a wheelchair since mid-2022.

But he said he still hoped to go on trips to Portugal, France and Mongolia planned for this year.

“My schedule keeps me moving,” he said.

Francis, who prayed for peace in Ukraine and met a representative of the Russian Orthodox Church during his Hungary visit, said he was willing to act as an intermediary between Russia and Ukraine and referred briefly to the Vatican’s involvement in talks now under way. “I am willing to do whatever needs to be done. Also, there is a mission going on now, but it is not public yet. Let’s see how … When it is public I will talk about it,” he said.

The Pope also said he hoped to help arrange the return of Ukrainian children forcibly sent to Russia, as requested by Ukraine’s Prime Minister, Denys Shmyhal, during a visit to the Vatican last week.

In March the International Criminal Court accused Russia of the forced deportation of Ukrainian children, which it says is a war crime. The Russian government has said that it has evacuated some Ukrainian children for their own safety and is seeking their reunification with their families.

The Pope also told reporters on Sunday that the Vatican Museums were in the process of returning some artefacts to indigenous groups in Canada who had requested them during a papal visit to the country last year. He said the action was akin to the Vatican’s agreement last month to return fragments of Parthenon sculptures to Greece.

“This is the seventh commandment: if you have stolen, you must give back,” Pope Francis said.

The Wall Street Journal