It is often said that the last moments reveal what is really brought to the bottom of our hearts. In the silence of his last days, Pope Francis has entrusted his doctor with a deeply human regret, a simple but symbolic wish, which he was unable to fulfil. This moment, both tender and painful, offers a shocking look at the ultimate thoughts of a man who has marked the Church and the whole world by his benevolence.
The Last Breath of a Man of Faith
On 21 April, the Vatican found itself deeply saddened: Pope Francis died peacefully at the age of 88, in his residence at the house of St. Martha. This death, although feared for several months, profoundly touched believers and non-believers, so much the figure of Jorge Mario Bergoglio had been able to mark the minds with his humility and commitment.
The state of health of the pontiff had been weakened for several weeks. Hospitalled in February for bronchitis, he then developed double pneumonia. Despite five weeks of hospitalization and an outing on 23 March, he will never fully recover his strength. The Easter weekend was his last.
A brutal end, despite the will to hold out to the end
It was on the night of Monday that the Pope’s state deteriorated sharply. At 5.30 a.m., his medical assistant Massimiliano Strappetti gave the alarm. Dr Sergio Alfieri, his personal doctor, immediately rushes. When he arrived, Francis had his eyes open but remained silent, insensitive to appeals and gestures. An electrocardiogram will confirm shortly after diagnosis: stroke, followed by coma, followed by irreversible cardiocirculatory arrest.
The following page continuation