Pope Francis faced a life-threatening situation during his recent hospital stay, with doctors considering ending his pneumonia treatment to allow him to die peacefully, according to Sergio Alfieri, the lead physician at Rome’s Gemelli hospital.
The 88-year-old pontiff was at his most critical point on February 28, when he nearly choked on his vomit after being admitted for a breathing crisis.
Alfieri told Italy’s Corriere della Sera newspaper that there was a “real risk he might not make it.”
“We had to decide whether to stop treatment and let him go or continue with all possible drugs and therapies, knowing there was a high risk of damaging his other organs,” Alfieri explained.
Ultimately, the medical team chose to proceed aggressively with treatment — a decision that proved successful.
Pope Francis was admitted to Gemelli hospital on February 14 for bronchitis, which rapidly progressed into double pneumonia.
This was particularly concerning as he had part of one lung removed in his youth.
The Vatican provided detailed updates throughout the 38-day hospital stay. According to Alfieri, Massimiliano Strappetti, the pope’s nurse, insisted that the medical team continue treatment following the vomiting incident.
“Try everything, we won’t give up,” Strappetti urged. Alfieri noted that despite the risk to the pope’s kidneys and bone marrow, the team pushed forward, and eventually, Francis’ body responded to the medication, improving his lung infection.
On Sunday, a frail-looking Pope Francis greeted well-wishers from a hospital balcony before returning to the Vatican after his five-week stay.
Recalling the moment, Alfieri said, “I saw him leave the room on the 10th floor of Gemelli hospital, dressed in white… It was the emotion of seeing the man become the pope again.”
Since leaving the hospital, Francis has been ordered to rest for two months to ensure a full recovery. It remains unclear how active he will be in public during this period.
