Doctors taking care of Pope Francis considered ending their treatment at one point as there “was a risk that he would not make it,” a report said. 

The medical director of Gemelli Hospital, Dr. Sergio Alfieri, shared the events of February 28 when the 88-year-old experienced a severe coughing episode and inhaled vomit, leading the staff to provide a ventilation mask for breathing assistance.

“For the first time, I noticed tears in the eyes of some people around him. These individuals, as I understood during his hospitalization, genuinely care for him, much like a father. We all realized the situation had deteriorated, and there was a real threat that he might not survive,” Alfieri stated in an interview with the Corriere della Sera newspaper published on Tuesday.

“We faced the decision of whether to let him go or to exhaust every possible medication and therapy, understanding there was a significant risk of harming other organs. In the end, we decided to take this challenging path,” he reportedly added.

Luigi Carbone, left, head physician of the Vatican’s Health and Hygiene Office, and surgeon Sergio Alfieri speak to journalists, on Saturday, March 22, 2025, at Rome’s Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic. (AP/Gregorio Borgia)

“Even when [Francis’] condition worsened he was fully conscious. That evening was terrible, he knew, like us, that he might not survive the night,” Alfieri also told Corriere della Sera. “We saw the man who was suffering. But from day one he asked us to tell him the truth and he wanted us to tell the truth about his condition.” 

Francis eventually was discharged from the hospital in Rome on Sunday. 

Pope Francis leaves in a car after appearing at a window of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP/Stefano Costantino)

A papal spokesman said Tuesday that Francis is very happy to be back home and his breathing and movement therapy is ongoing.