Pope said he could have died in hospital, claims Italian man

Pope Francis was in an unconscious state when he was suffering from bronchitis and was taken to the hospital two weeks ago, and he could have died, as per an Italian man who has been widely reported to have spoken with him regularly.

The Italian man claimed that he had last talked to the pontiff on Saturday. The 86-year-old pope was admitted to Gemelli Hospital on March 29 in Rome and was three days later discharged by the hospital. During the Easter celebration he led last week, the pope appeared in good health.

Michele Ferri, who belongs to the central Italian city of Pesaro, while speaking to Reuters said that the pope's health appeared better in their latest conversation compared to the last time when the two men spoke in January.

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"He seemed very tired (back then)," said Ferri. He confirmed the remarks he had made earlier, while speaking to the Italian regional newspaper Il Resto del Carlino, in which he had quoted the pope as saying, "A few more hours and I'm not sure I would have been around to tell it."

"I told him: you really gave us a fright!" said Ferri.

The Italian media widely quotes Ferri as someone who regularly speaks to the pope, since he was first called by Pope Francis to comfort him after his brother's death who had died in a robbery a decade ago.

It is known that the pope keeps a small list of people he contacts regularly, generally for giving them comfort after some tragedy.

The names of such people close to the Pope have never been confirmed by the Vatican but the institution does not deny that the Pope speaks to Ferri.

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The Vatican, however, did not respond to the comment on the latest remarks of Ferri.

The pope was healthy enough to preside over the Easter celebrations last week except for a Good Friday night-time outdoor service held in Rome which the Vatican stated that he skipped because of unseasonably cold weather.

Francis has been suffering from various ailments which include a bad knee that restricts his walking abilities. One part of his lungs was removed when he was young because of an illness in Argentina.

(With inputs from agencies)

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