| "I've never seen him so serene and handsome," said Lawyer Felos... |
Pope John Paul is in a "very grave" condition and appeared close to death after suffering heart failure, the Vatican said. "He is fading serenely," said Polish Cardinal Andrzej Maria Deskur, a close friend. But the Holy See denied reports that the 84-year-old pontiff was in a coma in his Vatican apartment after refusing hospital treatment. The Pope's fragile health took a sharp turn for the worse as he developed a high fever caused by an infection. After initially stabilising, his condition then deteriorated further, the Vatican said. John Paul suffered heart failure during treatment for a urinary tract infection and was now in a "very serious" condition, the Vatican said. Papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said in the previous statement the Pope had experienced septic shock and heart failure. "This morning the condition of the Holy Father is very serious," the statement said. However, it said that the Pope had participated in a mass and that he was "conscious, lucid, and serene". The Polish born Pope's health declined sharply when he developed a high fever brought on by the urinary tract infection. The Pope's wish to remain in his apartment at the Vatican and not be taken to the hospital was respected, Navarro-Valls said. |