Pope on Verge of Death, Vatican Officials Say
This evening or this night, Christ opens the door to Pope John Paul II, the pontiff’s vicar general for Vatican City told tens of thousands gathered at St. Peter’s Square.
This evening or this night, Christ opens the door to Pope John Paul II, the pontiff’s vicar general for Vatican City told tens of thousands gathered at St. Peter’s Square.
As Monsignor Angelo Comastri led up to 70,000 pilgrims on a prayer vigil in front of the St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, many tearfully gazed at the 84-year-old pontiff’s third-floor windows, where John Paul remained in "very grave" condition.
After suffering blood poisoning from a urinary tract infection the previous night, the pope's condition had worsened further, the Vatican said Saturday. However, despite suffering from kidney failure and shortness of breath, the pontiff had not lost consciousness as of 9:30 p.m., the Vatican added.
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Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, head of the Vatican's health care office, told the Mexican television network Televisa that the pope was “on the verge of death".
"I talked to the doctors and they told me there is no more hope," Barragan said.
According to the Associated Press, John Paul's health declined sharply Thursday when he developed a high fever brought on by the infection. The Vatican said the pope suffered septic shock and heart problems during treatment for the infection.
As word of John Paul’s declining condition spread across the globe, millions of Catholic Christians around the world dropped to their knees, bowed their heads in prayer, and lit candles for the ailing pontiff. Special Masses celebrated the pope for transforming the Roman Catholic Church during his 26-year papacy.
By Friday afternoon, a steady stream of pilgrims jammed the Via della Conciliazione, the main avenue leading to St. Peter's, AP reported. Some carried candles, while others held rosaries. Some looked through binoculars or camera lenses at the window of John Paul's apartment.
During his appearance at his window on Wednesday, the pope was visibly thinner and frail, according to published reports.
In the past two months, the pope has spent a total of 28 days in two stints at Rome's Gemelli hospital. He suffers from a number of chronic illnesses, including crippling hip and knee ailments and Parkinson's disease--a progressive neurological disorder that can make breathing difficult.
On Feb. 24, medical doctors performed a 30-minute tracheotomy at Rome's Gemelli hospital on John Paul II to ease his breathing problems after suffering another breathing crisis earlier that morning.
On Wednesday, the Vatican announced that John Paul II was being fed through a nasal tube because of his throat problems.
