ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has acknowledged his increasingly vocal right-wing critics.

He says their “nasty comments” were the work of the devil and added that “some wanted me dead” after his recent intestinal surgery.

"They were preparing for the conclave. Patience! Thank God, I’m all right," the pope said during a Sept. 12 private meeting with Slovakian Jesuits soon after he arrived in the Slovak capital, Bratislava.

A transcript of the encounter was published Tuesday by the Jesuit journal La Civilta Cattolica.

Francis showed his dark sense of humor throughout the encounter.

When a Jesuit asked him how he was feeling after the surgery, the pope quipped “Still alive!”