THE Pope last night underwent an operation after being rushed to hospital for the second time in a month.

A Vatican official said Pope John Paul II suffered a relapse after being affected by flu at the beginning of this month, and was taken to Rome's Gemelli Polyclinic suffering from congestion, breathing difficulties and a fever.

The 84-year-old had a tracheotomy which was completed "in a positive way".

In the operation, a hole was cut in his throat and a tube inserted to assist his breathing.

The tracheotomy is likely to prevent the Pope from speaking for an extended period and will probably require a long hospital stay.

The Italian news agency Ansa reported that the Pope was conscious when he arrived at Gemelli and that he was sitting upright on a stretcher.

People who saw him enter the hospital said his face looked quite relaxed.

Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said the Pope, who also has Parkinson's disease, had been informed of his situation and gave approval for the operation.

Anaesthesia is considered risky for someone of the Pope's age, especially given his Parkinson's disease.

The pontiff had greeted pilgrims twice at the window of his studio in St Peter's Square since leaving the Gemelli clinic on February 10, and on Wednesday he made his longest public appearance since he fell ill more than three weeks ago.

With each successive appearance, he had seemed a little stronger, a little more alert, and his voice rang out with greater clarity, which made yesterday's reversal all the more shocking.

"We are so scared because he has been sick in the past," said Vanessa Animo Bono, 32, a Roman Catholic being treated at Gemelli.

"He is one of the few popes who is actually able to listen to people."

In the Pope's home town of Wadowice, in southern Poland, worshippers offered prayers at an afternoon Mass in St Mary's Church, where he was baptised.