Prayers Pour In For Pope Francis After Turn For The Worse: ‘May Not Survive’

The health of Pope Francis has taken a turn for the worse, leading Catholics around the world to offer up prayers as some fear he may not survive his bout with an aggressive form of the flu.

An update on the church leader’s health is grim as he tells confidants he is not sure he’ll overcome his illness. The 88-year-old pontiff was elected to his role in 2013, making him the longest-serving pope since the 26-year reign of John Paul II ended in 2005.

Two sources close to Pope Francis describe his illness as a “polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract” at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome. Amidst his declining condition, Francis “is rushing to tie up loose ends ahead of the battle to succeed him,” they told Politico.

Despite suffering from intense pain in recent days, Pope Francis at first refused to leave his residency and check himself in for a medical evaluation. However, he relented after advisors told him “in no uncertain terms that he was at risk of dying if he stayed in his room in the Vatican.”

An update from the Vatican on Tuesday revealed that Pope Francis now suffers from bilateral pneumonia, a condition that can be easily treated with antibiotics if addressed early. It’s unknown how many days Francis suffered through without treatment before entering the hospital.

The Vatican stated that he is being treated for asthmatic bronchitis, requiring cortisone and antibiotic treatment.

“Laboratory tests, a chest X-ray, and the Holy Father’s clinical condition continue to present a complex picture,” said a statement.

Due to his stay at Gemelli Hospital, the pontiff has canceled some of his planned public appearances this weekend, the statement added. According to the outlet, Pope Francis became “distressed” after doctors forbade him from delivering his weekly Angelus this coming Sunday, a tradition he seldom misses but agreed to as he now follows their strict orders for recovery.

As he battles the illness, Pope Francis is making moves to grease the skids for a successor if the time comes. On February 6th, shortly before he was admitted to the hospital, he extended the appointed term of his friend, Italian cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, as dean of the College of Cardinals.

If Francis dies, Re would be tasked with convening a future papal conclave at the Sistine Chapel where church authorities would select a new pope, the Daily Beast reports.

The pope’s unilateral extension of Re’s term bypassed a traditional vote by cardinals, underscoring the speed with which Francis is acting to ensure the pieces are in place for a transition and in accordance with his last wishes.

Following media reports that Pope Francis may be on his deathbed, Rome-based newspaper La Repubblica received a statement from the Vatican denouncing morbid media coverage as “fake news not worth formally responding to.” The paper added that Francis is currently bedridden and sheltered in an aseptic environment.

“He may not die now but of course he eventually will,” one Vatican official told Politico. “We all die—and he’s an 88-year-old man with lung problems.”