[1/2] Pope Francis meets with Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti at the Vatican, June 22, 2023. Vatican Media/­Handout via REUTERSVATICAN CITY, June 22 (Reuters) - Pope Francis skipped reading a planned speech at a conference on Thursday, saying he still had breathing problems following a hernia operation this month. "I am still under the effects of anaesthesia, my breathing is not good," Francis told a meeting of the Catholic Oriental Church, saying delegates would instead receive a text of the speech. The pope had surgery on June 7 to repair an abdominal hernia. Reporting by Philip Pullella; Writing by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Persons: Pope Francis, Albin Kurti, Francis, Philip Pullella, Crispian Balmer, Alison Williams Organizations: Kosovo's, Vatican, Handout, REUTERS VATICAN CITY, Catholic Oriental Church, Thomson Locations: Cuba, Brazil