Pope Francis was conscious but still receiving high flows of supplemental oxygen Sunday as he remained in critical condition with pneumonia and a posh lung infection, the Vatican said. Prayers for him poured in from all over the world, from his native Argentina to the seat of Sunni Islam in Cairo to schoolchildren in Rome.
In Latest York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan said what church leaders in Rome weren’t saying publicly: that the Catholic faithful were united “on the bedside of a dying father.”
“As our Holy Father Pope Francis is in very, very fragile health, and doubtless near death,” Dolan said at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, without saying if he had independent information concerning the pope’s condition.
In Rome, the Vatican limited itself to saying that the 88-year-old Francis, who has pneumonia in each lungs and had a part of one lung removed as a young man, was still receiving high flows of supplemental oxygen after a respiratory crisis on Saturday. Further clinical tests were being performed.
“The night passed quietly, the pope rested,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in an early statement. A more detailed medical update was expected later Sunday.
On Saturday, Francis suffered a protracted asthmatic respiratory crisis that required high flows of oxygen to assist him breathe through a nasal tube. He also received blood transfusions after tests showed low counts of platelets, that are needed for clotting, the Vatican said.
Doctors said Saturday his prognosis was “reserved.”
Doctors have said Francis’ condition is touch-and-go, given his age, fragility and pre-existing lung disease. His condition has revived speculation about what might occur if he becomes unconscious or otherwise incapacitated, and whether he might resign.
Prayers for pope at Vatican
Francis was alleged to have celebrated Mass on Sunday morning in St. Peter’s Basilica and ordained deacons as a part of the Vatican’s yearlong Holy 12 months commemoration.
The organizer of the Holy 12 months, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, celebrated the Mass in his place and offered a special prayer for Francis from the altar before delivering the homily the pope had prepared.
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“Despite the fact that he’s in a hospital bed, we feel Pope Francis near us, we feel him present amongst us,” Fisichella told the a whole bunch of white-robed deacons.
A pre-written message that had been prepared for Francis to read Sunday but didn’t deliver said he was “confidently continuing my hospitalization on the Gemelli Hospital, carrying on with the crucial treatment; and rest can also be a part of the therapy!” The message asked for prayers for him — as he all the time asks — and noted the upcoming anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, “a painful and shameful occasion for the entire of humanity.”
Meanwhile in Francis’ native Argentina, Catholics prayed for the pope on the Buenos Aires cathedral and the town’s iconic obelisk was lit up “Francis, the town prays for you.”
In Cairo, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, the seat of Sunni learning who forged a detailed bond with Francis, wished him well.
“I pray to Allah to grant my dear brother, Pope Francis, a swift recovery and to bless him with good health and well-being in order that he may proceed his journey in serving humanity,” Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb wrote in a Facebook post.
School children from around Rome deluged the Gemelli hospital with get-well cards, while Italian bishops led rosary prayers and celebrated special Masses across Italy.
The principal threat facing the pope is sepsis
Doctors have warned that the principal threat facing Francis is sepsis, a serious infection of the blood that may occur as a complication of pneumonia. As of Friday, there was no evidence of any sepsis, and Francis was responding to the assorted drugs he’s taking, the pope’s medical team said of their first in-depth update on the pope’s condition.
Francis developed a low platelet count, a condition called platelopenia or thrombocytopenia. Platelets are cell-like fragments that flow into within the blood that help form blood clots to stop bleeding or help wounds heal. Low platelet counts could be attributable to quite a few things, including negative effects from medicines or infections.
Francis, who has chronic lung disease and is susceptible to bronchitis in winter, was admitted to Gemelli hospital on Feb. 14 after a weeklong bout of bronchitis worsened.
Doctors first diagnosed the complex viral, bacterial and fungal respiratory tract infection after which the onset of pneumonia in each lungs. They prescribed “absolute rest” and a mixture of cortisone and antibiotics, together with supplemental oxygen when he needs it.
Francis’ recent reforms suggest he knew he was getting older and more fragile
Francis has taken several recent decisions that suggest he was well aware that he was getting old and frail.
Last 12 months, he revised the funeral rites that might be used after he dies, simplifying the rituals to emphasise his role as a mere bishop and allowing for burial outside the Vatican in line with his wishes. However the core elements of the rites remain, including the three key moments that should be observed between the death of a pope and his funeral: In his home, in St. Peter’s Basilica and within the place of burial.
In December, Francis created 21 recent cardinals. All but one were under age 80 and thus eligible to vote in a conclave to elect his successor. Their additions brought the general variety of voting-age cardinals to 140, well over the 120 limit set by St. John Paul II. But several of the present electors are turning 80 this 12 months, bringing the number down.
Earlier this month, once he was already sick, Francis decided to increase the five-year term of the present dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, 91, fairly than make way for somebody recent. As depicted within the film “Conclave,” the dean of the College of Cardinals plays a very important role within the lifetime of the Catholic hierarchy, and is a vital figure through the transition between one papacy and the following.
Francis also decided to increase the term of the vice-dean, Argentine Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, 81.
