Tue Mar 25 11:34:01 UTC 2025: ## Pope Francis Near Death During Pneumonia Battle, Doctors Considered Ending Treatment
**Rome, Italy** – Pope Francis came perilously close to death during his recent hospitalization for pneumonia, according to his lead physician. Sergio Alfieri, head of the medical team at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, revealed that on February 28th, the 88-year-old pontiff experienced a severe breathing crisis, nearly choking on his own vomit. The situation became so critical that doctors considered withdrawing life support, allowing the Pope to pass peacefully.
“We had to choose if we would stop there and let him go, or to go forward and push it with all the drugs and therapies possible,” Alfieri told Italy’s *Corriere della Sera*. The decision to continue aggressive treatment carried significant risks of further organ damage.
Francis, who has served as Pope since 2013, spent 38 days at Gemelli hospital battling the illness. Initially admitted for bronchitis on February 14th, his condition deteriorated into double pneumonia – a particularly serious threat given his history of pleurisy and the prior removal of part of one lung. This hospitalization marks the most severe health crisis of his papacy. While the Pope has since been discharged, the revelation underscores the gravity of his recent illness.
First Piper 