Ailing Pope in God’s hands, Vatican condemns false reports of pontiff in ‘coma’

Vatican City – The head of the Roman Catholics, the Pope John Paul II is in a "very grave" condition and appears close to death after suffering heart failure and shock, the Vatican announced on April 1.

According to Vatican spokesman, Joaquin Navarro–Valls, the 84–year–old Pope had received the "Holy Viaticum" – communion reserved for those near death – and had decided himself not to go to hospital for treatment.

The Vatican statement said the Pope had been given cardio–respiratory assistance on Thursday and on Friday morning was still "conscious, lucid and tranquil."

It said the Pope celebrated Mass with his close aides at 6.00 a.m. on Friday.

Pope John Paul's fragile health took a sharp turn for the worse on Thursday evening as he developed a very high fever caused by a urinary infection. After initially stabilizing, his condition then deteriorated further, the Vatican said.

"Yesterday afternoon ... following a urinary infection, a state of septic shock and cardio–circulatory collapse set in," the statement said.

"This morning, the Holy Father's health condition is very grave."

The Pope has led the 1.1 billion–member Church for more than 26 years, but his health has declined steadily over the past decade. He has been seriously ill for most of the past two months and has failed to recover from recent throat surgery.

Doctors stayed at the John Paul's side through the night and a solitary light shone in the vast Apostolic Palace in a room believed to have been set up for medical staff.

The pontiff was attended to by the Vatican medical team, and provided with ``all the appropriate therapeutic provisions and cardio–respiratory assistance,'' the statement said.