Catholics around the world gathered to pray for the church’s leader at weekend church services.
Catholics around the world gathered to pray for the church’s leader at weekend church services.
- Updated
- World
- Europe
- Pope Francis
By Sally Rawsthorne
Updated February 23, 2025 — 5.52pmfirst published at 4.19am
Pope Francis spent a tranquil night resting in hospital, the Vatican said on Sunday, after a respiratory crisis on Saturday left him in a critical condition.
The 88-year-old, who has been hospitalised for a week in Rome with a complex lung infection, also received blood transfusions after tests showed a condition associated with anaemia.
Catholics around the world gathered to pray for the Pope at weekend church services, as news broke that his condition had worsened.
“Pope Francis is more unwell than yesterday”, the Vatican said in a statement on Saturday, adding that he had suffered a “prolonged asthma-like respiratory crisis” earlier in the day.
On Sunday morning local time, the Vatican said the Pope, who is battling double pneumonia, had a “tranquil” night and rested, after earlier saying his prognosis “remains guarded”.
In Sydney on Sunday morning, hundreds of parishioners turned their thoughts to the Pope during a packed solemn Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral.
“We pray for the health of father Pope Francis,” Father Don Richardson said from the pulpit.
“Although it is difficult to tell from news reports, his health seems to have taken a turn for the worse so we sustain him via our prayer.”
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The Pope is the first leader of the Catholic Church to come from Latin America, and Catholics from Mexico to Argentina attended masses, lit candles and said prayers on Saturday for the Pope’s recovery.
“We … pray for him with trust in God and pray for his health with joy,” Argentine priest Adrian Bennardins said. He praised Francis for making the global Catholic Church “closer, simple, fraternal, without leaving anyone out”.
Francis, who has chronic lung disease, was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on February 14 after a week-long bout of bronchitis worsened.
Doctors diagnosed a complex viral, bacterial and fungal respiratory tract infection and then the onset of pneumonia in both lungs. They prescribed “absolute rest” and a combination of cortisone and antibiotics, along with supplemental oxygen when needed.
Dr Sergio Alfieri, head of medicine and surgery at Gemelli Hospital, said the biggest threat facing Francis was from germs in his respiratory system passing into the bloodstream, causing sepsis, which can lead to organ failure and death.
Meanwhile, the Vatican issued an unusual official denial of an Italian media report that Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Pietro Parolin and the Pope’s chief canonist had visited Francis in hospital in secret amid rumours he might decide to resign.
In a rare interview, Parolin told Corriere della Sera that such speculation was “useless” when what really mattered was Francis’ recovery, health and return to the Vatican.
“I think it is quite normal that in these situations, uncontrolled rumours can spread,” Parolin said. “However, I don’t think there is any particular movement, and so far, I haven’t heard anything like that.”
Francis has said he has written a letter of resignation that would be invoked if he were medically incapable of making such a decision. However, there is no provision in canon law for what to do if a pope becomes incapacitated.
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The Vatican carried on with its Holy Year celebrations without the Pope on Saturday.
with AP and Reuters
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Sally Rawsthorne is a crime reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via Twitter or email.
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