Pope Francis's condition "continues to be critical", the Vatican has said, adding that the 88-year-old was alert but had suffered a respiratory attack that required "high-flow oxygen" and also blood transfusions.
"At the moment, the prognosis is reserved," it said on Saturday, as the head of the Catholic Church prepared to spend his ninth night in Rome's Gemelli hospital, where he was diagnosed last week with double pneumonia.
"The Holy Father's condition continues to be critical; therefore, as explained yesterday, the pope is not out of danger," the Vatican said in its regular early evening update.
Blood transfusion
"This morning Pope Francis presented a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis, which also required the application of high-flow oxygen," it said.
Daily blood tests "showed thrombocytopenia, associated with anaemia, which required the administration of blood transfusions", it added.
"The Holy Father continues to be alert and spent the day in an armchair even if he was suffering more than yesterday."
The Vatican earlier confirmed the Argentine pontiff would not deliver his usual weekly Angelus prayer on Sunday, saying the text would be published, as it was last weekend.
'Useless speculation'
Francis has been head of the Catholic Church since 2013 but has suffered numerous health issues in recent years and underwent major surgery in 2021 and 2023.
This latest hospitalisation has cast doubt over his ability to continue as leader of the world's almost 1.4 billion Catholics, fuelling speculation over his potential resignation — and who might take over.
Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin told Italy's Corriere della Sera daily that such discussion was normal but said he would not enter into "useless speculation".
Trump briefed
"Now we are thinking about the health of the Holy Father, his recovery, his return to the Vatican: these are the only things that matter," the cardinal said.
A group of nuns and priests from around the world gathered on Saturday outside the entrance to the Gemelli hospital, where Francis is staying in a special papal suite on the 10th floor, to pray for him.
"We are praying today for the Holy Father, Pope Francis, and our hope is that he will recover well in the Grace of God," Brazilian priest Don Wellison told the AFP news agency.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Saturday that President Donald Trump had been briefed on the pope's condition and was working on his own statement that will be released later.
Past joke
"We're praying for the pope," Leavitt said.
Francis has been moving between his bed, a chair and an adjacent chapel where he prays and has also been doing some work, the Vatican says.
He has said the papacy is a job for life, but has also left the door open to resigning like his predecessor Benedict XVI.
He has often joked about the scheming his health woes inevitably prompt, particularly among those who oppose his attempts at reform.
After undergoing colon surgery in 2021, he joked that "they were preparing the conclave", the meeting of cardinals to elect a new pope following a death or resignation.
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