Pope Francis was placed in a “crisis” on Saturday, the Vatican said just four days after religious leaders contracted pneumonia.
“The Holy Father's condition remains critical. Therefore, as I explained yesterday, the Pope is not out of danger. This morning, Pope Francis experienced a respiratory crisis like long-term asthma, and high flow rates. We needed to have oxygen administered,” the Vatican said in a statement.
The Pope is not attached to ventilators, but he still struggles to breathe. His treatment is currently underway at Gemeri Hospital in Rome. The Vatican announced that blood tests on Saturday revealed anemia-related thrombocytopenia, which requires blood transfusions.
Medical staff discovered Pontiff was suffering from a multimicrobial respiratory infection on Wednesday.
The doctor is keeping breathing tubes that can cause sepsis from entering his bloodstream.
Despite Pope Francis' condition, staff around him said he had a peaceful night on Friday.
“The Holy Father was vigilant and spent the whole day in the armchair, but he's more tired than yesterday. At this point, his prognosis remains in good condition,” the Vatican shared.
Francis admitted that he wrote a letter of resignation that would be called if he could not excuse himself as head of the Roman Catholic Church.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
