Pope Francis health latest: Church leader's touching three-word request amid health fears

The pope is the successor of the Apostle Peter, the head of the college of bishops, the Vicar of Christ and the pastor of the universal Catholic Church on Earth, according to the church’s in-house canon law.

Nothing has changed in his status, role or power since Francis was elected the 266th pope on March 13, 2013.

Francis may be in charge, but he delegates the day-to-day running of the Vatican and church to a team of officials who operate whether he is in the Apostolic Palace or not, and whether he is conscious or not.

Chief among them is the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. In a sign Francis’s hospitalisation foresaw no change to the governance of the church, Parolin was in Burkina Faso when Francis entered the hospital on February 14. Parolin is now back at the Vatican.

Other Vatican functions are proceeding normally, including the Vatican's 2025 Holy Year celebrations.

On Sunday, for example, Archbishop Rino Fisichella celebrated a Jubilee Mass in St. Peter's Basilica which Francis was supposed to have celebrated.

Fisichella offered a special prayer for Francis from the altar before delivering the homily the pope had prepared.

People outside Gemelli hospital pray for Pope Francis (Image: Getty)

2 hours ago11:37 Jon King

Canon law does have provisions for when a bishop gets sick and can’t run his diocese, but there are none for a pope.

Canon 412 says a diocese can be declared "impeded" if its bishop — due to "captivity, banishment, exile, or incapacity" — cannot fulfil his pastoral functions.

In these cases, the day-to-day running of the diocese shifts to an auxiliary bishop, a vicar general or someone else.

Even though Francis is the bishop of Rome, no explicit provision exists for the pope if he similarly becomes "impeded".

Canon 335 declares simply that when the Holy See is "vacant or entirely impeded" nothing can be altered in the governance of the church.

But it doesn’t say what it means for the Holy See to be "entirely impeded" or what provisions might come into play if it ever were.

A team of canon lawyers set out in 2021 to propose norms to fill that legislative gap, creating a canonical crowd-sourcing initiative to craft a new church law regulating the office of a retired pope as well as norms to apply when a pope is unable to govern, either temporarily or permanently.

The proposed norms explain that with medical advancements it’s entirely likely that at some point a pope will be alive but unable to govern.

It argues the Church must provide for the declaration of a "totally impeded see" and the transfer of power for the sake of its own unity.

Under the proposed norms, the governance of the universal church would pass to the College of Cardinals.

In the case of a temporary impediment, they would name a commission to govern, with periodical medical checks every six months to determine the status of the pope.

4 hours ago09:42 Jon King

Pope Francis was meant to have celebrated Mass on Sunday morning in St Peter's Basilica and to ordain hundreds of deacons as part of the Vatican's year-long Holy Year commemoration.

The organiser of the Holy Year, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, celebrated the Mass in his place and offered a special prayer for Francis from the altar before delivering the homily the pope had prepared.

Archbishop Fisichella said: "Even though he is in a hospital bed, we feel Pope Francis close to us. We feel him present among us.

"And this compels us to make even stronger and more intense our prayer that the Lord will assist him in his time of trial and illness."

Archbishop Rino Fisichella stood in for the pope at Mass this morning (archive image) (Image: Getty)

5 hours ago08:51 Jon King

The Vatican's leaders have atttempted to quash rumours and speculation Pope Francis might decide to resign.

There is no provision in canon law for what to do if a pope becomes incapacitated.

Francis has said he has written a letter of resignation which would be invoked if he were medically incapable of making a decision himself.

The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, gave a rare interview to Corriere della Sera to talk of a possible resignation.

It came after the Vatican issued an unusual and official denial of an Italian media report which said Cardinal Parolin and the pope’s chief canonist had visited Francis in the hospital in secret.

Given the canonical requirements to make a resignation legitimate, the implications of such a meeting were significant, but the Vatican flat-out denied any such meeting took place.

Parolin said such speculation was "useless" when what really mattered was the health of Francis, his recovery and return to the Vatican.

He was quoted as saying: "On the other hand, I think it is quite normal that in these situations uncontrolled rumors can spread or some misplaced comment is uttered. It is certainly not the first time it has happened. However, I don’t think there is any particular movement, and so far I haven’t heard anything like that."

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin (Image: Getty)

6 hours ago07:44 Jon King

The city of Buenos Aires has projected a message to Pope Francis on its obelisk overnight.

It reads, "Francisco, la ciudad reza por vos", which translates into English as, "Francis, the city prays for you".

Pope Francis was born in Buenos Aires and before becoming head of the Catholic Church was the Argentine capital's archbishop.

An image of the pontiff was also projected onto the obelisk which is a prominent landmark in Buenos Aires.

Buenos Aires (Image: Getty)

6 hours ago07:35 Jon King

Medics have warned the main threat facing Francis would be the onset of sepsis, a serious infection of the blood which can be a complication of pneumonia.

Blood tests on Saturday showed the pontiff had developed a low platelet count, a condition called platelopenia or thrombocytopenia.

Platelets are cell-like fragments which circulate in the blood that help form blood clots to stop bleeding or help wounds heal.

Francis, who has chronic lung disease and is prone to bronchitis in winter, was admitted to Gemelli hospital on February 14 after a week-long bout of bronchitis worsened.

Doctors first diagnosed the 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 he needs it.

The update on Saturday marked the first time the Vatican has referred to Francis suffering an "asthmatic respiratory crisis of prolonged magnitude, which also required the application of oxygen at high flows".

Dr Sergio Alfieri, Head of Medicine and Surgery at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, said on Friday that the biggest threat facing Francis was that some of the germs located in his respiratory system pass into the bloodstream, causing sepsis. Sepsis can lead to organ failure and death.

The doctor said: "Sepsis, with his respiratory problems and his age, would be really difficult to get out of. The English say 'knock on wood', we say 'touch iron'. Everyone touch what they want. But this is the real risk in these cases: that these germs pass to the bloodstream."

He added the pope knows he's in danger and he instructed doctors to share that detail with the public.

Candles, flowers and a portrait of Francis laid at the statue of John Paul II outside the hospital (Image: Getty)

6 hours ago07:31 Jon King

The Vatican has said Pope Francis had a "tranquil" night in hospital.

Francis won't lead Sunday prayers for a second Sunday running as he continues to receive treatment at Rome's Gemelli hospital.

A text prepared by Pope Francis for today's Angelus will be published later today, according to the Vatican.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a brief statement: “The night passed quietly, the pope rested.”

Nuns pray during a Rosary service in front of the Gemelli hospital (Image: Getty)

6 hours ago07:30 Jon King