The operation he underwent in July consisted of addressing a condition known as diverticular stenosis or a narrowing of the colon, a common problem in people over 80 years of age.
He spent ten days recovering in a hospital in Rome after being operated on, which removed half of his colon.
During the 90-minute interview with a Spanish radio station, Francis tried to speculate that, due to his age and health problems (he suffers from painful sciatica and loss of half a lung), he could choose to resign, as Benedict XVI did in 2013.
Benedict was the first pope to leave St. Peter’s See in 600 years; Gregory XII resigned in 1415 amid a crisis of church leadership known as the Great Schism of the West.
“Whenever a pope is sick, there is a breeze or a conclave hurricane,” Francis said, referring to the secret election held in the Sistine Chapel after the death of a pope to choose a successor.
There are no indications that the pope intends to resign soon. He has scheduled visits to Hungary and Slovakia next month, expects to travel to Greece and Cyprus and will attend the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow in November.