The chief of Pope Francis’ medical team, Dr. Sergio Alfieri, has shared details about the pontiff’s final moments, revealing that he died swiftly from a sudden stroke, without experiencing prolonged suffering.
Alfieri, who previously managed Pope Francis’ care during a five-week hospitalisation for double pneumonia earlier this year, confirmed that nothing could have been done to prevent the inevitable.
Speaking on Thursday, the physician from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital recounted the moment he was summoned to the Vatican.
“I got a phone call at around 5:30 a.m. (0330 GMT) on Monday morning to come quickly,” Alfieri recalled. “I entered his rooms and he (Francis) had his eyes open. I ascertained that there were no respiratory problems. And then I tried to call his name, but he did not respond to me. At that moment I knew there was nothing more to do. He was in a coma.”
The attending officials, in their concern, had considered moving the pope back to the hospital for urgent care, but Alfieri explained that it would have been futile.
“He would have died on the way. Doing a scan we would have had a more exact diagnosis, but nothing more. It was one of those strokes that, in an hour, carries you away,” he added.
Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1936, made history as the first pontiff from Latin America.
Although he was 88 and had previously battled pneumonia, his death came as a shock, especially after he appeared in good spirits on Easter Sunday.
Just a day before his passing, the pope was seen in St. Peter’s Square aboard his popemobile, warmly acknowledging the faithful—a moment that gave many hope of his recovery.
