Pope Francis’s physician has revealed that the pontiff faced a critical health situation in February, leading doctors to consider ceasing treatment.
Dr. Sergio Alfieri, who heads the Pope’s medical team, stated that Pope Francis’s recent hospitalization involved a life-threatening health crisis. At one point, doctors contemplated halting treatment and allowing him to pass away peacefully.
In an interview with Corriere della Sera published on Tuesday, Dr. Alfieri recounted that on February 28, the 88-year-old Pope experienced severe breathing difficulties after inhaling vomit during a bronchospasm. This led to a “real risk he might not make it.”
Despite the potential for organ damage, the medical team opted for aggressive treatment. Alfieri, a physician at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, explained, “We had to choose if we would stop there and let him go, or to go forward and push it with all the drugs and therapies possible.”
The decision to proceed with treatment was significantly influenced by Pope Francis’s personal nurse, Massimiliano Strappetti, who urged the team to “try everything; don’t give up.”
Pope Francis was admitted to the hospital on February 14 with bronchitis that evolved into double pneumonia. His history of lung problems, including the removal of a portion of one lung when he was younger, made his condition particularly concerning.
During his 38-day hospital stay, Pope Francis experienced multiple respiratory crises that required intensive medical intervention. He was discharged on March 23 and made his first public appearance since February 14, greeting well-wishers from the hospital balcony. He has since returned to the Vatican to continue his recovery.
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