Personal Physician Says "Pope Francis Did Not Want Life-Prolonging Treatment"

Personal Physician Recalls, "He Had His Eyes Open but Did Not Respond"
"Pope Refused Recommendation for Rest to Fulfill His Final Mission"

On the 24th (local time), Italian daily newspapers Corriere della Sera and La Repubblica reported that Sergio Alfieri, Pope Francis's personal physician, recalled the Pope's final moments by saying, "The Pope had his eyes open but did not respond when called," and "He did not react even to painful stimuli. At that moment, there was nothing more that could be done."

On the afternoon of the 22nd, mourners are paying their respects at the underground chapel of Myeongdong Cathedral in Jung-gu, Seoul, where the funeral altar for Pope Francis, who passed away on the 21st (local time), was set up. 2025.04.22 Photo by Joint Press Corps

According to these media outlets, Alfieri received a call at around 5:30 a.m. on the 21st from Massimiliano Strappetti, Pope Francis's personal nurse. The message was that the Pope's condition was critical and he was asked to come quickly. Alfieri arrived at the Pope's residence at the Casa Santa Marta within the Vatican 20 minutes later. When he entered the room, the Pope had his eyes open but was unresponsive, his pulse was gradually weakening, and his breathing was becoming shallow.

Alfieri said, "We considered transferring him to the hospital, but he would have passed away during the move," and added, "During his life, the Pope always said he wanted to close his eyes at home. In the end, he passed away at home without pain." He further explained, "Even in the hospital, the Pope did not say, 'I want to return to Santa Marta,' but rather, 'I want to go home.'"

It is reported that the Pope refused life-prolonging treatment at the end of his life. Alfieri stated, "Since his abdominal surgery in 2021, the Pope requested that no intubation or excessive treatment be performed," and "Even during this last hospitalization, he made it clear that he did not want to be intubated under any circumstances."

La Repubblica interpreted that the Pope had firmly decided years ago not to undergo futile life-prolonging treatment.

After being treated for severe pneumonia earlier this year and discharged on the 23rd of last month, the Pope quickly resumed outside activities, disregarding his medical team's recommendation to minimize contact with outsiders for at least two months. Just three weeks after his discharge, on the 16th, the Pope invited 70 medical staff from Rome's Gemelli Hospital, who had cared for him, to the Vatican. Alfieri said he was startled when he heard the news. "I tried to dissuade him, but the Pope quietly replied, 'Thank you.' When he said that three times, I realized there was no point in trying to stop him any further," Alfieri recounted.

He added, "Looking back now, I think the Pope knew what he needed to do before he died," and "He wanted to fulfill his papal mission until the very end, and he truly did so."

Alfieri said that when he visited the Pope at the Casa Santa Marta on the 19th, two days before the Pope's passing, the Pope's health was still quite good. "The Pope was very happy to have celebrated the Holy Thursday Mass at Regina Coeli Prison in Rome on the 17th, but he regretted, saying, 'This time, I wasn't able to wash the feet of the inmates.' Those were his last words," Alfieri shared.

Alfieri is the head of abdominal tumor surgery at Gemelli General Hospital and performed Pope Francis's abdominal surgeries in July 2021 and June 2023. Earlier this year, when the Pope was hospitalized for 38 days at Gemelli Hospital due to pneumonia, Alfieri led the Pope's medical team and directed his treatment.