For the first time since being reported to be sick, Pope Francis appeared to a crowd gathered for his weekly general audience on Wednesday (November 29).

The Vatican confirmed earlier this week that the pontiff would not travel to Dubai for COP28 at the request of his doctors.

According to EWTN, the pope could be heard breathing heavily as he stood to begin the general audience in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall with the sign of the cross.

(Photo: Elizabeth Alva/EWTN) Pope Francis appears to crowds gathered for a weekly general audience at the Vatican on November 29, the first time since suffering from lung inflammation.

Francis, 86, explained in a raspy, soft voice that he was "still not well" and would have an aide - the Monsignor Filippo Ciampanelli of the Vatican's Secretariat of State - read his speech regarding the "passion for evangelization."

At the end of the general audience, Francis spoke briefly, asking people to continue praying for Israel and Palestine, expressing hope that the truce between Israeli troops and Hamas fighters would continue to hold and that all of the hostages be released.

"I hope that the ongoing ceasefire in Gaza will continue, that all hostages will be released, and that necessary humanitarian aid will still be allowed in," he said.

"I heard from the parish there that there is a lack of water, a lack of bread, and people are suffering," he added, pertaining to perceived on-the-ground reports from Gaza's Catholic parish. "We ask for peace."

Read Also: Pope Francis Calls German Synodal Way a Threat to Catholic Church's Unity

State of the Pope's Health

In a written statement on Tuesday night (November 28), Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said that the pope has "influenza and inflammation of the respiratory tract," and his condition had since "improved."

"Doctors have asked the pope not to make the trip planned for the coming days to Dubai for the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change," he wrote. "Pope Francis accepted the doctors' request with great regret."

The pope was taken to a hospital in Rome on November 25. A CT scan from the hospital "ruled out pneumonia, but it showed lung inflammation causing some breathing difficulties."

Despite his condition, Francis was able to continue meeting some individuals and groups in a scaled-back schedule this week, including the Paraguayan President Santiago Peña and French abuse victims.

Related Article: Pope Francis Cancels COP28 Trip After Doctor's Orders Amid Lung Inflammation