In a dramatic revelation that shocked the Catholic world, medical professionals disclosed that Pope Francis came perilously close to death during his hospitalization for double pneumonia in early 2025, with his medical team seriously contemplating the cessation of treatment. The 88-year-old pontiff’s health crisis reached its most critical juncture on February 28, 2025, when he suffered a severe bronchospasm and aspirated his own vomit, creating a life-threatening emergency that forced doctors to make an agonizing decision.
Professor Sergio Alfieri, the lead physician coordinating care at Rome’s prestigious Gemelli Hospital, provided unprecedented details about the gravity of the situation in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. The disclosure came after Francis was discharged following a grueling 38-day hospitalization, the longest of his twelve-year papacy. This extended medical crisis would ultimately foreshadow events that would culminate weeks later, fundamentally altering the course of the Catholic Church.
The Critical Moment When Doctors Faced an Impossible Choice
The most harrowing episode occurred during the late hours of February 28, 2025, when Pope Francis experienced a catastrophic breathing crisis. According to Dr. Alfieri, the pontiff suffered a violent bronchospasm that caused him to inhale his own vomit, a medical emergency known as aspiration that can lead to severe pneumonia, respiratory failure, and death. The situation deteriorated so rapidly that medical staff witnessed tears in the eyes of those closest to the pope, individuals who had remained steadfast throughout his ordeal.
Dr. Alfieri revealed the excruciating dilemma his team confronted. Medical professionals had to choose between two equally daunting paths: discontinue aggressive treatment and allow the elderly pontiff to pass peacefully, or pursue an intensive therapeutic approach that carried substantial risks of damaging other vital organs, including the kidneys and bone marrow. The decision was complicated by Francis’s advanced age, pre-existing respiratory conditions from having part of his lung removed in his youth, and the complex polymicrobial infection ravaging his respiratory system.
The responsibility for this life-or-death decision ultimately fell to Massimiliano Strappetti, Pope Francis’s personal healthcare assistant, who had been entrusted with all medical decisions on behalf of the pontiff. Without hesitation, Strappetti instructed the medical team with three decisive words that would determine the course of action. He told doctors to attempt every possible intervention, emphasizing that giving up was not an option. This determination reflected the pope’s own fighting spirit and his documented wishes regarding end-of-life care.
Understanding the Medical Complications
The health crisis that brought Pope Francis to the brink of death was multifaceted and extraordinarily complex. The pontiff was admitted to Gemelli Hospital on February 14, 2025, initially suffering from bronchitis that had persisted for several days. However, his condition rapidly deteriorated as diagnostic tests revealed a polymicrobial respiratory tract infection, meaning multiple types of bacteria were simultaneously attacking his respiratory system.
By February 18, medical imaging confirmed bilateral pneumonia, commonly known as double pneumonia, affecting both lungs. This diagnosis was particularly concerning given Francis’s medical history. In 1957, at the age of 21, Jorge Mario Bergoglio underwent emergency surgery to remove the upper lobe of his right lung due to a severe respiratory infection with three cysts and pleural effusion. This procedure left him with diminished lung capacity throughout his life, making any respiratory illness potentially life-threatening.
The complexity of his clinical picture was further compounded by several factors. Francis developed bronchiectasis, a chronic condition where the airways become permanently widened and damaged, leading to mucus accumulation and recurrent infections. He also experienced asthmatic bronchitis, which causes inflammation and narrowing of the airways. Additionally, blood tests revealed early-stage kidney failure, medically termed renal insufficiency, and dangerously low platelet counts, a condition called thrombocytopenia that impairs blood clotting.
The 38-Day Battle for Survival
Pope Francis’s hospitalization stretched across 38 days, establishing a sobering record as his longest hospital stay since his election to the papacy in March 2013. Throughout this extended period, the Vatican provided an unprecedented level of transparency regarding the pontiff’s medical condition, a decision that Dr. Alfieri confirmed came directly from Francis himself. From the first day of hospitalization, the pope insisted that medical staff tell him the complete truth about his condition and that this information be communicated to the faithful worldwide.
The medical bulletins released by the Vatican, prepared collaboratively by the medical team and the pope’s personal secretaries, detailed the severity of his illness without omission or embellishment. This transparency marked a significant departure from historical Vatican practices, where papal health information was often shrouded in secrecy. Dr. Alfieri emphasized that nothing was ever changed or omitted from the reports, reflecting Francis’s commitment to honesty even in his most vulnerable moments.
Multiple Life-Threatening Episodes
The February 28 crisis, while the most severe, was not the only time Pope Francis’s life hung in the balance during his hospitalization. Three days after the aspiration incident, on March 3, the pontiff experienced two separate episodes of acute respiratory failure. These episodes were triggered by significant accumulation of endobronchial mucus and consequent bronchospasm, essentially meaning that thick mucus plugs were blocking his airways and causing the air passages to constrict violently.
To address these life-threatening situations, medical staff performed two bronchoscopies, invasive procedures where a camera tube with specialized instruments is inserted into the airways. These procedures allowed doctors to visualize the obstruction and remove the mucus plugs that were preventing adequate oxygen exchange. The medical team recovered abundant secretions during these interventions, providing temporary relief but underscoring the ongoing severity of the infection.
Throughout these ordeals, medical bulletins consistently emphasized that Pope Francis remained alert, oriented, and collaborative with his treatment regimen. Despite experiencing episodes that left medical professionals fearing for his survival, the pontiff maintained his mental clarity and continued to participate in daily Mass from his hospital room, meet with select Vatican officials, and make his daily telephone calls to Father Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest in Gaza, a practice he had maintained throughout the ongoing conflict in the region.
The Treatment Protocol and Its Risks
The aggressive treatment approach that doctors ultimately pursued carried substantial risks to Pope Francis’s other organ systems. Dr. Alfieri acknowledged that the intensive drug regimen and therapeutic interventions threatened to damage the pontiff’s kidneys and bone marrow. The kidneys, already showing signs of early insufficiency, were particularly vulnerable to the toxic effects of powerful antibiotics and other medications necessary to combat the polymicrobial infection.
The pope received high-flow oxygen therapy through nasal cannulas, delivering concentrated oxygen at rates far exceeding normal breathing. When this proved insufficient during acute crises, medical staff employed noninvasive mechanical ventilation using specialized masks that forced air into the lungs under pressure. These interventions, while life-saving, carry their own complications, including potential damage to delicate lung tissues already compromised by infection and chronic disease.
Blood transfusions were administered to address the pope’s anemia and critically low platelet count. The transfusions successfully improved his blood parameters, but the underlying cause of the plateletopenia remained a concern throughout his hospitalization. Medical staff also initiated intensive respiratory physiotherapy to help clear secretions from his lungs and motor physiotherapy to prevent the muscle wasting and weakness that inevitably accompany prolonged bed rest in elderly patients.
The Role of Faith and Prayer in Medical Crisis
In a remarkable statement that bridged the realms of medicine and spirituality, Dr. Alfieri expressed his belief that the prayers of millions of Catholics worldwide contributed to Pope Francis’s survival. The physician referenced scientific literature suggesting that prayer can have measurable positive effects on patient outcomes, a controversial topic in medical circles that nonetheless reflects growing interest in the intersection of faith and healing.
Throughout Pope Francis’s hospitalization, Catholic faithful around the world organized continuous prayer vigils. In St. Peter’s Square, thousands gathered nightly to recite the rosary, led by various cardinals and Vatican officials. These marathon prayer sessions continued for weeks, with participants holding candles and displaying messages of support at the base of a statue of St. John Paul II outside Gemelli Hospital. Similar vigils were organized in Catholic communities across every continent.
Dr. Alfieri told the Italian newspaper that he witnessed what he could only describe as miraculous recoveries twice during the pope’s hospitalization. At moments when the medical situation appeared irretrievable, when staff believed they had lost the battle against the infections ravaging the pontiff’s lungs, Francis’s condition would stabilize and begin to improve. The physician, speaking as both a scientist and a witness to events that defied purely clinical explanation, suggested that the global outpouring of prayer played a role in these recoveries.
Vatican Transparency and Public Communication
The unprecedented transparency regarding Pope Francis’s medical condition sparked intense global interest and speculation. The Vatican’s decision to provide detailed daily bulletins, complete with technical medical terminology and frank assessments of the pontiff’s prognosis, represented a significant shift in how papal health information is managed. Historically, Vatican communications about papal illness were often vague and euphemistic, leaving the faithful to speculate about the true severity of the situation.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni served as the primary conduit for medical information, releasing bulletins prepared by the medical team sometimes multiple times daily during the most critical periods. These communications included specific details about oxygen flow rates, medication regimens, diagnostic test results, and even frank discussions of organ function, particularly regarding the pope’s kidneys and blood parameters.
This openness, while appreciated by many Catholics seeking accurate information about their spiritual leader’s health, also generated challenges. News media around the world provided minute-by-minute coverage of every development, and social media platforms amplified both factual reporting and unsubstantiated rumors. The Vatican found itself issuing unusual official denials of some reports, including an Italian media claim that Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, had secretly visited the pope to discuss potential resignation.
The Question of Papal Resignation and Succession
As Pope Francis’s health crisis deepened, questions about potential resignation or the unprecedented scenario of papal incapacitation became subjects of intense discussion. Cardinal Parolin addressed these sensitive topics in a rare interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, describing speculation about resignation as useless when the primary concern should be the pope’s recovery and return to the Vatican.
The topic of papal resignation carried particular weight because Francis’s immediate predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, became the first pope in approximately 600 years to voluntarily step down from the papacy in 2013, citing declining health and lack of strength of mind and body. Benedict’s resignation at age 85 established a modern precedent that had not existed in recent church history, making discussions of Francis potentially following this path less taboo than in previous eras.
Pope Francis himself had addressed the possibility of resignation on multiple occasions before his health crisis. In a 2022 revelation, he confirmed having written a resignation letter shortly after becoming pope, to be invoked if he became medically incapable of making such a decision himself. In his memoir published in early 2025, Francis characterized resignation as a distant possibility, justified only in cases of serious physical impediment that would prevent him from fulfilling his papal duties.
Throughout his hospitalization, despite spending 38 days in a hospital bed, Pope Francis demonstrated his determination to continue in his role. He maintained active participation in church governance, signing documents, making episcopal appointments, and approving the initiation of the third phase of the synodal process. On March 11, 2025, even while hospitalized, he gave definitive approval to begin a process of accompaniment and evaluation of the implementation phase of the Synod on Synodality.
Historical Context and Papal Health Challenges
Pope Francis’s February-March 2025 hospitalization was the fourth and most serious of his papacy, but it was far from his first encounter with significant health challenges. His medical history includes multiple conditions that have affected his ability to maintain the demanding schedule traditionally expected of a Roman pontiff. Understanding this context helps illuminate the severity of the respiratory crisis that brought him to the brink of death.
In July 2021, Francis underwent a major surgical procedure lasting six hours, during which surgeons removed 33 centimeters of his colon to address a painful bowel condition called diverticulitis. This operation required a lengthy recovery period and raised concerns about his long-term health. The pope himself acknowledged in subsequent interviews that his body needed time to adjust to having significantly less intestine, affecting his digestion and overall physical wellbeing.
Chronic knee pain and sciatica forced Francis to begin using a wheelchair in 2022, fundamentally changing how he participated in public ceremonies and traveled. He has also relied on a walker and cane, depending on the severity of his pain on any given day. This visible disability, while limiting his mobility, was praised by many disabled Catholics who appreciated seeing their spiritual leader openly acknowledging and working within physical limitations.
Throughout 2023 and 2024, Francis experienced recurring bouts of influenza and respiratory infections that forced him to cancel multiple planned events. In late November 2023, he was compelled to withdraw from his anticipated attendance at the COP28 climate meeting in Dubai due to severe influenza and lung inflammation. He also canceled a visit to the Colosseum for the traditional Stations of the Cross in March 2024, preserving his strength for the Easter celebrations that followed.
The Discharge and Prescribed Recovery Period
On March 23, 2025, after 38 days of intensive hospital care, Pope Francis was finally deemed stable enough for discharge from Gemelli Hospital. However, his departure did not signify a return to normal life or duties. Medical professionals prescribed a rigorous two-month convalescence period during which the pontiff would need to avoid large gatherings and continue receiving extensive medical support and rehabilitation services.
Francis returned to his residence at Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican guesthouse where he has lived throughout his papacy rather than the traditional papal apartments. There, he would receive daily treatment including mobility physiotherapy to restore strength and function after his prolonged hospitalization, and respiratory physiotherapy focused particularly on voice recovery, as weeks of intubation, ventilation, and illness had significantly affected his ability to speak.
Doctors mandated that Pope Francis have 24-hour medical assistance, including oxygen therapy equipment and emergency medical personnel immediately available should another crisis occur. This unprecedented level of ongoing medical supervision reflected the medical team’s assessment that while the pope had survived the acute crisis, his underlying health remained fragile and precarious. The risk of another respiratory emergency, infection, or other complication remained significant.
When Francis briefly appeared at a hospital window before his departure, waving to crowds gathered below and in St. Peter’s Square watching on large screens, observers noted how weak and frail he appeared. His face showed the toll of his ordeal, and his movements were careful and limited. Yet his determination to greet the faithful, to show himself alive and recovering, demonstrated the same resolve that had carried him through the darkest moments of his hospitalization.
The Vatican announced that Pope Francis would gradually resume his duties, but the specifics remained uncertain. A planned state visit by Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla, scheduled for early April, was postponed by mutual agreement. Buckingham Palace stated that medical advice suggested the pope would benefit from an extended period of rest and recuperation. Questions also surrounded whether Francis would be able to participate in Holy Week activities leading up to Easter on April 20, traditionally the most demanding period of the papal calendar.
The Aftermath and Historical Significance
The revelation that Pope Francis’s medical team seriously considered stopping treatment to allow him to die peacefully sent shockwaves through the Catholic world and raised profound questions about end-of-life medical care, patient autonomy, and the unique pressures surrounding the health of a religious leader followed by 1.4 billion people worldwide. Dr. Alfieri’s candid disclosure provided rare insight into the ethical dilemmas that physicians face when caring for elderly patients with complex, life-threatening conditions.
The decision to pursue aggressive treatment despite the risks reflected several factors. Most importantly, it honored the pope’s own documented wishes regarding medical care, wishes that his healthcare assistant knew intimately. Massimiliano Strappetti’s instruction to try everything, to refuse to give up, aligned with Francis’s personal philosophy and his determination to continue serving the church as long as physically possible, even in the face of tremendous suffering.
Dr. Alfieri’s account also highlighted the emotional dimension of caring for Pope Francis. The physician described seeing tears for the first time in the eyes of those closest to the pontiff, individuals who genuinely loved him like a father. This human element, often overlooked in clinical discussions of medical decision-making, underscored that beyond his role as spiritual leader of the Catholic Church, Francis was a man facing mortality surrounded by people who cared deeply about his survival.
The medical team’s ultimate success in stabilizing Pope Francis and enabling his discharge from the hospital represented a victory born of advanced medical science, skilled clinical care, aggressive therapeutic intervention, and what many believers would characterize as divine intervention manifested through the prayers of millions. Dr. Alfieri’s acknowledgment of the potential role of prayer in his patient’s recovery represented a rare public statement from a prominent physician at one of Italy’s leading medical centers, bridging the often-separated worlds of faith and science.
However, this dramatic health crisis and temporary recovery would prove to be only a prelude to events that would unfold in the weeks that followed. Despite doctors’ best efforts and the pope’s determination to continue his ministry, the damage to his respiratory system and overall health from the prolonged illness had taken an irreversible toll. The crisis in February and March 2025 marked the beginning of the end of Pope Francis’s remarkable papacy, though few could have predicted how soon that end would come.
Pope Francis’s Legacy and the Catholic Church’s Future
The health crisis that brought Pope Francis to death’s door in February-March 2025 occurred against the backdrop of a transformative papacy that had reshaped many aspects of Catholic Church governance, theology, and engagement with contemporary issues. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Francis became the first Latin American pope when he was elected on March 13, 2013, surprising many observers who had seen him as an outsider candidate.
His selection signaled a dramatic shift in the church’s geographical and theological center of gravity. Whereas previous popes in recent decades had come from Europe and often emphasized traditional doctrine and institutional preservation, Francis brought a perspective shaped by his experience serving marginalized communities in South America. His papacy emphasized social justice, environmental stewardship, economic equity, and outreach to those on the peripheries of church and society.
Pope Francis became known for challenging statements that departed from traditional Vatican rhetoric. His famous response when asked about gay priests, he replied with a question that resonated worldwide: Who am I to judge? This simple phrase signaled a more inclusive, less judgmental approach to LGBTQ Catholics, though it did not represent a change in official church teaching on homosexuality. He similarly reached out to divorced and remarried Catholics, acknowledging the complexity of human relationships and the need for pastoral mercy.
On environmental issues, Francis issued the groundbreaking encyclical Laudato Si, which framed climate change as a moral and spiritual crisis requiring urgent action. He criticized global economic systems that perpetuate inequality and called for a more just distribution of wealth and resources. His advocacy for migrants and refugees, particularly those fleeing violence and poverty, brought him into conflict with nationalist political movements in Europe and North America, including pointed disagreements with political leaders who promoted restrictive immigration policies.
During his twelve-year papacy, Pope Francis appointed nearly 80 percent of the cardinals who would eventually gather in conclave to elect his successor. Through these appointments, he reshaped the leadership of the Catholic Church, elevating prelates who shared his vision of a more pastoral, less rigidly institutional church focused on mercy and accompaniment rather than judgment and exclusion. However, his reforms also provoked significant resistance from conservative elements within the church who viewed some of his initiatives as threatening traditional Catholic identity and practice.
Conclusion
The revelation that Pope Francis’s medical team contemplated ending treatment during his critical respiratory crisis in February 2025 provides extraordinary insight into one of the most dramatic moments in recent Catholic Church history. Professor Sergio Alfieri’s candid account of the February 28 emergency, when the pontiff aspirated vomit during a severe bronchospasm, exposes the agonizing decision-making process that physicians face when caring for elderly patients with complex, life-threatening conditions.
The decision to pursue aggressive treatment, driven by the pope’s personal healthcare assistant Massimiliano Strappetti and supported by the entire medical team, ultimately enabled Francis to survive the acute crisis and return to the Vatican after 38 days of intensive hospitalization. However, the damage inflicted by double pneumonia, polymicrobial respiratory infection, and multiple episodes of respiratory failure left lasting effects on the 88-year-old pontiff’s already compromised health.
Dr. Alfieri’s acknowledgment of the potential role of prayer in the pope’s recovery, combined with his description of moments that seemed miraculous when medical science alone appeared insufficient, captures the unique intersection of faith and medicine that characterizes papal healthcare. The global prayer vigils, the tears of those who loved Francis like a father, and the determination expressed in three words never give up reflect the profound human dimensions of this medical drama.
The unprecedented transparency provided by the Vatican regarding Pope Francis’s condition, done at the pope’s own insistence, marked a significant departure from historical practices of secrecy surrounding papal health. This openness, while generating intense media coverage and speculation, allowed the worldwide Catholic community to accompany their spiritual leader through his ordeal with accurate information rather than rumors and guesswork.
The February-March 2025 health crisis proved to be a pivotal moment in Pope Francis’s papacy, demonstrating both his remarkable resilience and the ultimate limitations imposed by age and chronic illness. The medical team’s success in stabilizing his condition and enabling his discharge represented a triumph of modern medicine, skilled clinical care, and what many believers understood as divine mercy responding to millions of prayers. Yet this dramatic brush with death would ultimately prove to be a harbinger of the irreversible decline that would follow in subsequent weeks.
Pope Francis’s near-death experience and the difficult decisions made by his medical team illuminate broader questions about end-of-life care, patient autonomy, aggressive treatment in elderly patients, and the unique pressures surrounding the health of a global religious leader. Dr. Alfieri’s willingness to discuss these matters publicly contributes to important conversations about medical ethics, informed consent, and the role of designated healthcare decision-makers in representing patients’ wishes during critical moments.
The story of those 38 days at Gemelli Hospital, culminating in the revelation that doctors seriously considered allowing Pope Francis to die peacefully rather than risking organ damage through aggressive treatment, will be remembered as one of the most dramatic chapters in modern papal history. It revealed a man who faced mortality with faith, courage, and a determination to continue serving the church he loved, supported by a medical team willing to take extraordinary measures to honor his wishes and preserve his life, and accompanied by millions of faithful praying for his recovery around the world.
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