Pope John Paul II was left slumped in his chair after faltering during a speech on a visit to an Armenian church.
A priest finished reading the 81-year-old pontiff's address.
The Pope had arrived in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, for a three day visit to pay tribute to the country's ancient Christian church.
The Pope, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, was stooped as he got off a flight from Kazakhstan.
Later, on a visit to the Armenian Apostolic Church's seat in Echmiadzin, about 15 miles from Yerevan, the Pope's hands shook seemingly uncontrollably as he was reading his speech.
The Pontiff had arrived in Armenia from Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, where he had spent four days.
His visit is part of ceremonies celebrating the 1,700th anniversary of Christianity as the state religion. Armenia, in 301, became the world's first country to declare itself Christian.
AP