Pope Francis came close to dying, a doctor involved in his treatment has revealed.
The 88-year-old told hospital staff “it’s bad” as they battled to save his life.
Pope Francis was discharged from hospital last Sunday, after five weeks of being treated for double pneumonia.
Doctors have warned he will need at least two months to recover, putting his busy Easter schedule in doubt.
In an interview with Corriere Della Sera, Professor Sergio Alfieri, who was on the Gemelli hospital team treating the Pontiff, gave rare insights into his treatment.
Alfieri said: “The worst was the night of February 28. He whispered: “it's bad”. Those who were next to him had tears in their eyes.
“For the first time I saw tears in the eyes of some of the people around him.”
When asked if the Pope had known he was at risk of dying Professor Alfieri said: “Yes, also because he was always alert. Even when his condition worsened, he was fully conscious.
“That evening was terrible, he knew, like us, that he might not survive the night. We saw the man who was suffering.
“However, from the first day, he asked us to tell him the truth and he wanted us to tell the truth about his condition.”
