Vatican issues Pope update after health crisis leaves him critical

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni’s one-line statement on Sunday morning (Sunday evening AEDT) didn’t mention if Francis was up or eating breakfast.

On Saturday morning, he suffered a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis while being treated for pneumonia and a complex lung infection.

The pope received “high flows” of oxygen to help him breathe. He also received blood transfusions after tests showed low counts of platelets, which are needed for clotting, the Vatican said in a late Saturday (Sunday morning AEDT) update.

The Saturday statement also said that the pontiff “continues to be alert and spent the day in an armchair although in more pain than yesterday”.

Doctors said the prognosis was “reserved”.

Doctors have said Francis’ condition is touch-and-go, given his age, fragility and pre-existing lung disease, and that the main threat facing him is if the infection enters the bloodstream, a serious condition known as sepsis.