- Pope not out of danger, condition continues to be critical: Vatican.
- ‘His prolonged asthmatic attack required high-flow oxygen’.
- Thrombocytopenia, anaemia diagosed in his daily blood tests.
VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis is in a critical condition after suffering a severe respiratory attack that required high-flow oxygen and blood transfusions, the Vatican said on Saturday, as he continues his treatment for double pneumonia at Rome’s Gemelli hospital.
“At the moment, the prognosis is reserved,” it said, as the 88-year-old head of the Catholic Church prepared to spend his ninth night in Rome’s Gemelli hospital, where he was diagnosed this week with double pneumonia.
“The Holy Father’s condition continues to be critical; therefore, as explained yesterday, the pope is not out of danger,” the Vatican said in its regular early evening update.
“This morning, Pope Francis experienced a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis, which also required the application of high-flow oxygen,” it said.
Daily blood tests “showed thrombocytopenia, associated with anaemia, which required the administration of blood transfusions”, it added.
“The Holy Father remains alert and spent the day in an armchair, even though he was suffering more than yesterday.”
The Vatican earlier confirmed that the Argentine pontiff would not deliver his usual weekly Angelus prayer on Sunday, stating that the text would be published, as it was last weekend.
Prayers for the Pope
Francis has been head of the Catholic Church since 2013 but has suffered numerous health issues in recent years, undergoing major surgery in 2021 and 2023.
This latest hospitalisation has cast doubt over his ability to continue as leader of the world’s almost 1.4 billion Catholics, fuelling speculation over his potential resignation—and who might take over.
Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin told Italy’s Corriere della Sera daily that such discussions were normal but said he would not engage in “useless speculation”.
“Right now, we are focused on the Holy Father’s health, his recovery, and his return to the Vatican—these are the only things that matter,” the cardinal said.
A group of nuns and priests from around the world gathered on Saturday outside the entrance to the Gemelli hospital, where Francis is staying in a special papal suite on the 10th floor, to pray for him.
“We are praying today for the Holy Father, Pope Francis, and our hope is that he will recover well in the grace of God,” Brazilian priest Don Wellison told AFP.
Francis has been moving between his bed, a chair, and an adjacent chapel where he prays, while also doing some work, the Vatican says.
Professor Sergio Alfieri, who leads the pope’s medical team at the Gemelli, said on Friday that the pontiff’s condition had slightly improved, allowing doctors to incrementally lower the amount of medication he was taking.
However, he made it clear that the situation remained very serious, given the pontiff’s age and overall health condition.
“Is the pope out of danger? No, the pope is not out of danger,” Alfieri said but added: “If you then ask whether he is in danger of dying at this moment, the answer is still no.”
Francis has previously stated that the papacy is a job for life but has also left the door open to resigning, as his predecessor Benedict XVI did.
He has often joked about the scheming that his health issues inevitably prompt, particularly among those who oppose his attempts at reform.
After undergoing colon surgery in 2021, he quipped that “they were preparing the conclave”—the meeting of cardinals to elect a new pope following a death or resignation.
A Lot of Respect
Italian Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi told Corriere on Friday that he did not rule out Francis stepping down.
However, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, who leads the Holy See’s powerful Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, said he had heard no particular manoeuvring this time.
“I don’t sense a pre-conclave environment; I don’t see more discussions on a potential successor than there were a year ago,” he told Argentina’s La Nación daily.
“So far, I perceive a lot of respect.”
The pope maintains a punishing work schedule and, in September, embarked on a 12-day tour of the Asia-Pacific.
However, he has suffered increasing health issues, from his colon surgery to a hernia operation in 2023.
He is also overweight and experiences constant hip and knee pain, which forces him to use a wheelchair most of the time.
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