Pope Francis’ condition “continues to be critical,” the Vatican said on Saturday, saying that the 88-year-old is alert but has undergone a respiratory attack that requires “high-flow oxygen” and also a blood transfusion.
“The forecast is currently preserved,” the head of the Catholic Church said in it, prepares to spend his ninth night at Gemeli Hospital in Rome, where he was diagnosed this week with double pneumonia.
“Therefore, the state of the Holy Father is still critical, as explained yesterday, the Pope is not out of danger,” said the Vatican in his regular update on the early evening.
“This morning, Pope Francis presented a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis that also required the application of high -flow oxygen,” the message said.
Daily blood tests “show thrombocytopenia associated with anemia, which requires blood transfusions,” she added.
“The Holy Father continues to be alert and spends the day in a chair, even if he suffered more than yesterday.”
Earlier, the Vatican confirmed that the Argentine hinges would not deliver its usual weekly Angelus prayer on Sunday, saying that the text would be published as it was last weekend.
– Prayers for the Pope –
Francis has been the head of the Catholic Church since 2013, but has undergone numerous health problems in recent years and has undergone a major surgery in 2021 and 2023.
This last hospitalization has questioned his ability to continue as the leader of nearly 1.4 billion Catholics in the world, nourishing speculation about his potential resignation – and who can absorb.
Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin told Corriere della Sera in Italy that such a discussion was normal, but said he would not enter “useless speculation”.
“Now we think about the health of the Holy Father, his restoration, his return to the Vatican: these are the only things that matter,” the cardinal said.
A group of nuns and priests from all over the world gathered on Saturday at the entrance of the Hospital in Gemeli, where Francis stayed in a special papal apartment on the 10th floor to pray for him.
“Today we pray for the Holy Father, Pope Francis. Our hope is that he will recover well in the grace of God,” Brazilian priest Don Welison told AFP.
Francis moves between his bed, a chair and a neighboring chapel, where he prays and has also done some work, says the Vatican.
Professor Sergio Alfiery, who leads the Pope’s medical team in Gemalli, said the Pontiff’s condition is slightly improving, allowing doctors to gradually reduce the amount of medicines he is taking.
But he clarified that the situation was very serious, noting the age of Pontif and the general state of health.
“The pope is out of danger? No, the Pope is not out of danger,” Alfiery said, but added, “If then ask if he is in danger of dying at that moment, the answer is still not.”
Francis said the papacy was a lifelong job, but also left the door open to resign as its predecessor Benedict XVI.
He often joked that the troubles of his health inevitably quickly, especially among those who opposed his attempts to reform.
After undergoing colon surgery in 2021, he jokes that they “prepare a conclave”, the meeting of the cardinals to choose a new pope after death or resignation.
– a lot of respect –
Italian Cardinal Gianranko Ravasi told Corriere on Friday that he did not rule out Francis to withdraw.
But Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, who led the powerful dicaster of the Holy See for the teaching of faith, said he had not heard a specific maneuver this time.
“I don’t see an environment before a conclave, I don’t see more conversations about a potential heir than a year ago,” he told Argentina’s La Nacion Daily.
“So far, he has been perceived a lot of respect.”
The Pope maintains a punishing work schedule, and in September he took a 12-day tour of the Asia-Pacific region.
But he has suffered more and more health problems – from colon surgery to hernia surgery in 2023.
He is also overweight and suffers from constant pain in the hips and knee, which forces him to use a wheelchair most of the time.
Bur-Ar/JJ