The conversion of Wikipedia's co-founderSurgeon Sergio Alfieri has been the head of the medical team that has cared for Pope Francis during the 38 days of his hospitalization at the Gemelli. On several occasions, he has been in charge of the Pontiff's medical care, including the colon surgery he underwent in 2021. In this last admission Alfieri's role was not only limited to treatments, but he was also in charge of communication with the Pope's entourage and with the media.
Now, for the first time, he has offered an exclusive interview to the Corriere della Sera recounting the most difficult moments the Holy Father went through in the hospital.
The day it all went wrong
On February 28, when Pope Francis had been in the Gemelli Hospital for 14 days, his health suddenly deteriorated. A bronchospasm severe, accompanied by severe respiratory distress, endangered his life. At that critical moment, the Holy Father, fully aware of the situation, asked for help.
Professor Sergio Alfieri, the doctor in charge of his treatment, recalled that moment as the worst of the entire hospitalization: "For the first time I saw tears in the eyes of some of the people around him. People who, as I have been able to understand during this period of hospitalization, love him sincerely, like a father".
A difficult decision
The situation was extremely delicate and required a quick and decisive choice. The medical team faced a dilemma: "We had to choose between stopping and letting him go or forcing him and trying all possible drugs and therapies, running the very high risk of damaging other organs," explained Alfieri. In the end, they opted to try everything possible to save him.
However, the final decision rested with Pope Francis himself. "The Holy Father always decides. He has delegated all kinds of health decisions to Massimiliano Strappetti, his personal medical assistant, who knows perfectly well the Pope's wishes." At that point, Francis gave a clear answer, "Try everything, don't give up."
A fight against time
Over the next few hours, doctors faced the challenge of controlling the lung infection without damaging other vital organs such as the kidneys and bone marrow. The situation remained critical, but gradually the treatment began to show results.
"For days we ran the risk of damaging the kidneys and bone marrow, but we kept going," Alfieri recounted. Finally, the Pontiff's body responded to the treatments and the infection began to subside.
A new scare: the second crisis
When everything seemed to be improving, a new episode put the doctors and the Pope's entourage on edge. "We were coming out of the hardest moment, when, while he was eating, he had a regurgitation and aspirated," Professor Alfieri recalled. "It was the second truly critical moment because, in these cases, if not rescued promptly, there is a risk of sudden death."
Fortunately, the medical team reacted quickly, and Francisco also overcame this new difficulty.
An exemplary patient
Throughout his hospitalization, the Pope showed an exemplary attitude. "He underwent all the therapies without ever complaining," the doctor pointed out. Moreover, the Pontiff never lost his good humor.
On one occasion, when greeted by Alfieri with "Good morning, Holy Father," Francis replied with a smile, "Good morning, Holy Son."
Return to the Vatican
After 38 days of hospitalization, the Pope was discharged and was able to return to his residence in Santa Marta. Before leaving, he asked the doctors: "I am still alive, when are we going home? The doctors have recommended that he keep two months of protected convalescence, avoiding contact with large groups of people or with children who could be a vehicle for new infections. "We talked and promised not to waste the effort we had made," Alfieri explained.
A resilient leader
Pope Francis has demonstrated remarkable physical and mental strength. His doctor recognizes it: "Beyond a very strong heart, he has incredible resources". Moreover, he does not hesitate to attribute part of his recovery to the faith and prayers of the faithful: "There is a scientific publication according to which prayers give strength to the sick. In this case, everyone started praying.
Finally, Alfieri shared a particularly poignant moment: "When I saw him come out of the room on the tenth floor of the Gemelli dressed in white. It was the emotion of seeing the man become Pope again."
