Pope Francis not out of danger – Doctor speaks on pontiff’s death scare

The medical doctor to Pope Francis, Sergio Alfieri, on Friday said the Catholic pontiff ‘is not out of danger’.

Alfieri said Pope Francis ‘wants his condition reported to the world without hiding anything’.

The 88-year-old has been undergoing treatment at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.

He was admitted on February 14 after struggling with breathing difficulties for several days.

However, Alfieri disclosed that his condition is not life-threatening.

He said the pontiff will remain in hospital ‘at least all next week’, as necessary for his treatment.

The Pope’s condition can change “day-by-day.”

Alfieri said the pontiff who is being treated in hospital for double pneumonia, is not in danger of death but is not yet cured.

Addressing a press conference, he said: “Is he out of danger? No. But if the question is, ‘is he in danger of death’, the answer is ‘no.”

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a brief update yesterday that the Pope had slept well and had breakfast while seated in an armchair.

The Pope’s condition was stable and he had shown ‘slight improvement’ in results from recent blood tests, the Vatican said in a statement on Wednesday evening.