Pope Francis died quickly and without suffering, his doctor says
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Pope Francis spent five weeks at Rome’s Gemelli hospital where he was treated for double pneumonia.
PHOTO: AFP
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VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis died quickly
Dr Sergio Alfieri said he got a phone call at around 5.30am (11.30am Singapore time) on April 24 to come quickly to the Vatican, and that he arrived about 20 minutes later.
Dr Alfieri oversaw Pope Francis’ treatment at Rome’s Gemelli hospital earlier in 2024. The pontiff spent five weeks at the hospital fighting double pneumonia
“I entered his rooms and he (Francis) had his eyes open,” he told Corriere della Sera newspaper. “I ascertained that there were no respiratory problems, and then I tried to call his name, but he did not respond to me.”
“At that moment, I knew there was nothing more to do,” said Dr Alfieri. “He was in a coma.”
In a separate interview with La Repubblica, he said some officials who were present with the Pope suggested moving him immediately back to the hospital.
“He would have died on the way,” he said. “Doing a CT scan, we would have had a more exact diagnosis, but nothing more. It was one of those strokes that, in an hour, carries you away.”
Pope Francis was 88 and had nearly died while fighting pneumonia, but his death still came as a shock. Just the previous day, he appeared at St Peter’s Square in an open-air popemobile to greet cheering crowds on Easter Sunday, suggesting his convalescence was going well.
Pope kept working
After Pope Francis returned to the Vatican on March 23 after a 38-day hospital stay, Dr Alfieri and the Pope’s other doctors prescribed him a two-month period of rest to allow his ageing body to heal.
The Pope, known to push himself hard, kept working.
He met briefly with US Vice-President J.D. Vance
Dr Alfieri said the Pope listened to his doctors’ advice and did not push himself too hard.
“He (was) the Pope,” he told Corriere. “Going back to work was part of his treatment, and he was never exposed to danger.”
Dr Alfieri said he last saw Pope Francis on April 19.
“He was very well,” he said.
He recounted the Pope saying: “I am very well. I have started working again, and I like it.”
“We knew that he wanted to go home to be pope up until the last moment,” said Dr Alfieri. “He didn’t let us down.”
In the Repubblica interview, Dr Alfieri said Pope Francis shared one final regret with him.
While he was happy to have visited the prisoners on April 17, he wished he had been able to perform a foot-washing ritual for the Church’s celebration of Holy Thursday.
“He regretted he could not wash the feet of the prisoners,” said Dr Alfieri. “‘This time I couldn’t do it’ was the last thing he said to me.” REUTERS
