Pope Francis remains in critical condition after suffering a respiratory attack that required high-flow oxygen and blood transfusions, the Vatican confirmed on Saturday. The 88-year-old pontiff remains alert but continues to receive intensive medical care.
“The Holy Father’s condition remains critical; therefore, as explained yesterday, the Pope is not out of danger,” the Vatican stated in its evening update. He is spending his ninth night at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where he was diagnosed with double pneumonia earlier this week.
According to the Vatican, Francis suffered a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis on Saturday morning, requiring urgent administration of high-flow oxygen. Blood tests later revealed thrombocytopenia (low platelet count) and anaemia, necessitating blood transfusions.
Despite his condition, the Pope remains conscious and spent the day sitting in an armchair, though he experienced greater discomfort than the previous day. Due to his health, he will not deliver his usual Sunday Angelus prayer; instead, the Vatican will publish the text, as it did the previous weekend.
Francis has led the Catholic Church since 2013 but has faced increasing health challenges in recent years. He underwent major surgeries in 2021 and 2023, and his latest hospitalisation has raised concerns about his ability to continue leading the Church’s 1.4 billion followers. This has also fuelled speculation about a possible resignation and potential successors.
Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin acknowledged that such discussions are expected but declined to engage in what he called “useless speculation.” “Right now, our focus is on the Holy Father’s health, his recovery, and his return to the Vatican—these are the only priorities,” Parolin told Italy’s Corriere della Sera.
Outside the Gemelli Hospital, a group of nuns and priests gathered on Saturday to pray for Francis’s recovery. “We are praying today for the Holy Father, Pope Francis, and we hope he will recover in the grace of God,” said Brazilian priest Don Wellison.
The Vatican noted that Francis has been alternating between his bed, a chair, and a chapel within his hospital suite, where he prays and continues to do some work. His medical team, led by Professor Sergio Alfieri, reported on Friday that the Pope’s condition had “slightly improved,” allowing doctors to begin reducing his medication.
However, Alfieri emphasised the seriousness of the situation, given Francis’s age and overall health. “Is the Pope out of danger? No, the Pope is not out of danger,” he said. “But if you ask whether he is at risk of dying at this moment, the answer is no.”
Francis has previously suggested that the papacy is a lifelong role but has also left open the possibility of stepping down, as his predecessor Benedict XVI did. He has often joked about speculation regarding his health, particularly among those opposed to his reforms. Following his colon surgery in 2021, he quipped, “They were preparing the conclave,” referring to the process of electing a new pope.
Italian Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi told Corriere della Sera on Friday that he would not rule out the possibility of Francis resigning. However, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, head of the Vatican’s powerful Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, dismissed speculation.
“I don’t see a pre-conclave atmosphere, nor do I sense more discussions about a successor than there were a year ago,” Fernández told Argentina’s La Nación newspaper. “So far, I perceive a great deal of respect.”
Despite his health struggles, Francis has maintained an intense work schedule. In September, he completed a 12-day tour of the Asia-Pacific region. However, his medical challenges have mounted, from colon surgery to a hernia operation in 2023. He also suffers from chronic hip and knee pain, which requires him to use a wheelchair most of the time.
AFP
