Pope Francis was unconscious when he was rushed to hospital two weeks ago with bronchitis and could have died, Michele Ferri, a close friend of the Pope, told Reuters.
The Pope was transferred to the Policlinico Gemelli hospital in Rome on March 29 and released three days later. At first it was announced that they were routine check-ups, but the information about his health status increased in severity as the days went by. Finally it was confirmed that he suffered from bronchitis and he left the hospital after three days of admission.
Ferri also explained that the highest representative of Catholicism “sounded better in their most recent conversation than the last time they spoke in January” and added that “back then, he seemed very tired.”
The Pope’s friend had previously testified to the Italian regional newspaper Il Resto del Carlino, in which he claimed that the Pope had told him: “A few more hours and I’m not sure I would have been around to tell it.”
Michele Ferri is widely quoted in the Italian media as someone who speaks to the Pope regularly, ever since Francis first called him to comfort him after the death of his brother, killed in a robbery a decade ago. Pope Francis keeps a short list of people he calls regularly, and Ferri is one of them. Even so, the Vatican never confirms the names but has not denied communication between the two.
Last week, the pope was well enough to preside over all Easter celebrations except for the outdoor Good Friday service in Rome, which the Vatican said was skipped due to unusually cold weather.
