Pope Francis\u2019s condition \u201ccontinues to be critical\u201d, the Vatican said on Saturday, saying the 88-year-old was alert but had suffered a respiratory attack that required \u201chigh-flow oxygen\u201d, and also blood transfusions.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the moment the prognosis is reserved,\u201d it said, as the head of the Catholic Church prepared to spend his ninth night in Rome\u2019s Gemelli hospital, where he was diagnosed this week with double pneumonia.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe holy father\u2019s condition continues to be critical, therefore, as explained yesterday, the pope is not out of danger,\u201d the Vatican said in its regular early evening update.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis morning Pope Francis presented a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis, which also required the application of high-flow oxygen,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n
Daily blood tests \u201cshowed thrombocytopenia, associated with anaemia, which required the administration of blood transfusions\u201d, it added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe holy father continues to be alert and spent the day in an armchair even if he was suffering more than yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Vatican earlier confirmed the Argentine pontiff would not deliver his usual weekly Angelus prayer on Sunday, saying the text would be published, as it was last weekend.<\/p>\n
Prayers for the pope
\nFrancis has been head of the Catholic Church since 2013 but has suffered numerous health issues in recent years, and underwent major surgery in 2021 and 2023.<\/p>\n
This latest hospitalisation has cast doubt over his ability to continue as leader of the world\u2019s almost 1.4 billion Catholics, fuelling speculation over his potential resignation \u2014 and who might take over.<\/p>\n
Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin told Italy\u2019s Corriere della Sera daily that such discussion was normal but said he would not enter into \u201cuseless speculation\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow we are thinking about the health of the holy father, his recovery, his return to the Vatican: these are the only things that matter,\u201d the cardinal said.<\/p>\n
A group of nuns and priests from around the world gathered today outside the entrance to the Gemelli hospital, where Francis is staying in a special papal suite on the 10th floor, to pray for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are praying today for the holy father, Pope Francis, and our hope is that he will recover well in the grace of God,\u201d Brazilian priest Don Wellison told AFP.<\/p>\n
Francis has been moving between his bed, a chair, and an adjacent chapel where he prays. He has also been doing some work, the Vatican says.<\/p>\n
Professor Sergio Alfieri, who leads the pope\u2019s medical team at the Gemalli, said a day ago the pontiff\u2019s condition was slightly improving, allowing doctors to incrementally lower the amount of medication he is taking.<\/p>\n
But he made clear then that the situation was very serious, noting the pontiff\u2019s age and general health condition.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs the pope out of danger? No, the pope is not out of danger,\u201d Alfieri said, but added: \u201cIf you then ask whether he is in danger of dying at this moment, the answer is still no.\u201d<\/p>\n
Francis has said the papacy is a job for life but has also left the door open to resigning like his predecessor Benedict XVI.<\/p>\n
He has often joked about the scheming his health woes inevitably prompt, particularly among those who oppose his attempts at reform.<\/p>\n
After undergoing colon surgery in 2021, he joked that \u201cthey were preparing the conclave\u201d, the meeting of cardinals to elect a new pope following a death or resignation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pope Francis\u2019s condition \u201ccontinues to be critical\u201d, the Vatican said on Saturday, saying the 88-year-old was alert but had suffered a respiratory attack that required \u201chigh-flow oxygen\u201d, and also blood transfusions. \u201cAt the moment the prognosis is reserved,\u201d it said, as the head of the Catholic Church prepared to spend his ninth night in Rome\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5874,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5873"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5873\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5875,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5873\/revisions\/5875"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5874"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5873"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}