Pope Francis’s health “remains critical,” the Vatican reported on Saturday, noting that the 88-year-old is alert but has experienced a respiratory attack that necessitated “high-flow oxygen” and blood transfusions.
“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.
The Vatican previously announced that the Argentine pontiff would not deliver his typical weekly Angelus prayer on Sunday, saying that the text would be made available as it was the previous weekend.
“This morning Pope Francis presented 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.
Since becoming the head of the Catholic Church in 2013, Francis has faced multiple health challenges, undergoing significant surgeries in both 2021 and 2023.
This most recent hospitalisation has raised concerns about his capability to serve as the leader of approximately 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, sparking speculation regarding a possible resignation and who might succeed him.
Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin informed Italy’s Corriere della Sera daily that such conversations are normal but said he would refrain from “pointless speculation.”
A group of nuns and priests from across the globe assembled on Saturday outside the Gemelli hospital, where Francis resides in a designated papal suite on the tenth floor, to offer prayers for him.
