World

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis, hospitalised in critical condition with pneumonia in both lungs, is in a good mood after a peaceful night, the Vatican and a source said Monday, amid global concern over the pontiff's health.

The 88-year-old head of the Catholic Church was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on February 14 with breathing difficulties and his condition has since worsened.

But the Vatican's morning bulletin said: "The night passed well, the pope slept and is resting".

Francis "woke up and is continuing his treatment", a Vatican source said.

He was "in a good mood", "can get out of bed", "is not in pain" and was eating "normally", the source said.

The longest hospitalisation of Francis's papacy has brought an outpouring of support for the pope with prayers said around the world and tributes left outside the hospital.

His initial bronchitis developed into double pneumonia and on Saturday the Vatican warned for the first time that the pope's condition was critical.

On Sunday it said Francis continues to receive "high-flow" oxygen through a nasal cannula, and blood tests demonstrated an "initial, mild, renal failure, currently under control".

Francis is alert but "the complexity of the clinical picture, and the need to wait for the pharmacological treatments to have some effect, mean that the prognosis remains reserved," it concluded.

Well-wishers left candles outside the Gemelli hospital, where Francis is in a 10th floor papal suite.

The Vatican was to hold a prayer for the pope in St Peter's Square on Monday.

Abele Donati, head of the anaesthesia and intensive care unit at the Marche University Hospital, told the Corriere della Sera daily that renal failure "could signal the presence of sepsis in the early stages".

"It is the body's response to an ongoing infection, in this case of the two lungs", he said.

Professor Sergio Alfieri, who leads the Gemelli medical team treating the pope, warned on Friday that "the real risk in these cases is that the germs pass into the blood", which could result in sepsis, a life-threatening condition.

 'Need his figure' 

Francis's hospitalisation has sparked widespread fears over the pope's recovery.

"At this moment in history, one feels the need for his figure", Jesuit theologian Antonio Spadaro, who is close to Francis, told the Repubblica daily.

There were "many people around the world, including those in positions of responsibility, who are genuinely concerned because they know that Francis is one of the few who is able to connect the dots in a world that seems to be split", he said.

The condition of the pope, who had part of one of his lungs removed as a young man, has fuelled speculation about whether he might resign.

He has always left the door open to following his predecessor, Benedict XVI, who in 2013 became the first pope since the Middle Ages to step down because of his physical and mental health.

But Francis has repeatedly said it was not the time.

Spadaro agreed that a resignation should not be discussed now. "The pope is vigilant, he is exercising his pastoral duty even from his hospital bed, and -- although in a different, less visible manner -- he manifests his presence", he said.

German Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Muller told the Corriere della Sera "the pope is alive and this is the moment to pray, not think about his successor". 

But had added: "We all must die. There is no eternal earthly life. The pope has a special task, but he is a man like all men".

BERLIN - Germany's conservative election winner Friedrich Merz faced an uphill struggle to build a coalition government on Monday, a day after an election which saw a record performance by the right.

Merz has warned against more paralysis in Berlin at a time US President Donald Trump is driving head-spinning change, the German economy is in recession, and society split after a polarising campaign.

In a post on X, Merz insisted Ukraine "must be part of peace negotiations" after Trump unsettled European allies by reaching out to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Europe remains firmly by Ukraine's side," Merz said, as European leaders gathered in Kyiv to mark the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion.

Speaking late Sunday, his victory dampened by a far-right surge, Merz had warned a united Europe must build up its own defences as he had "no illusions at all about what is coming out of America".

With over 28 percent of the vote, Merz's CDU/CSU bloc handily defeated Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens, as the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) celebrated a record of over 20 percent.

Following a heated campaign -- dominated by the flashpoint issue of immigration after a spate of deadly attacks blamed on migrants -- Merz will now have to reach out to his former campaign-trail SPD foes. 

 'Herculean tasks' 

The conservatives will first enter talks without Scholz, who apologised for SPD's "bitter" defeat at 16 percent, while his popular defence minister, Boris Pistorius, was expected to play a more central role.

Merz must seek to establish communications with Trump, who said the conservatives' election win was a "great day for Germany" in an early response.

"The people of Germany got tired of the no common sense agenda, especially on energy and immigration," said Trump, whose surrogates have hounded Scholz's outgoing administration.

Merz will have to enter a process of horse-trading on party policies and red lines to hammer out a platform for a future governing alliance.

"These are difficult starting conditions for a new German government, which is facing Herculean tasks in domestic and foreign policy," said Cornelia Woll of the Hertie School Berlin.

"One might hope that Germany will nevertheless be able to act quickly, so that it does not just have to watch how Trump and Putin shape the future."

After the vote, French President Emmanuel Macron said he looked forward to jointly working with Merz for a "strong and sovereign Europe", while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he looked forward to working with Germany to "strengthen Europe".

Germany's political crisis was sparked by feuding in Scholz's three-way alliance, which broke apart on November 6, the day Trump was re-elected.

Woll said "Germany has chosen the conservative turn, but forming a government could be difficult" after the CDU/CSU fell almost two points short of their goal of 30 percent.

'Disappointed and frustrated' 

Provisional results early Monday suggested Merz had dodged a bullet after the "left-wing conservative" Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) appeared to have missed by a sliver the five-percent cut-off mark for entry into the Bundestag.

Fewer parties make it easier to gain a majority, and having the BSW in parliament would have forced him into a bumpy three-party coalition like the one Scholz led.

The liberal FDP, which sparked Scholz's government collapse, also narrowly missed the five-percent hurdle and crashed out of the Bundestag.

Whatever happens, Merz and all other parties have vowed to reject the AfD's overtures and keep them out of power, behind a "firewall" of non-cooperation.

Alice Weidel, the AfD's chancellor candidate for the election, on Monday called for other parties to drop their policy of refusing to cooperate with her party.

"They cannot exclude millions of voters. That is undemocratic. The firewall must go -- no functioning democracy has a firewall," she said.

Joerg Seiffert, 69, a therapist in Berlin, said he was "very disappointed and frustrated by the rise of the AfD". 

"The worst thing would be if the CDU were to join forces with the AfD after all. And I really don't know today whether it wouldn't actually happen," he said.

Pensioner Marlies Schaefer, 74, said it was "good that Merz won the election" but "I would have thought he would have won by more."

BERLIN — Germany's conservative CDU/CSU alliance led by Friedrich Merz won Sunday's elections with between 28.5 and 29 percent of the vote, according to first TV exit polls.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) followed in second place with 19.5 to 20 per cent, roughly doubling its result in the last election in 2021, based on initial figures from public broadcasters ARD and ZDF.

The surge of the anti-immigration AfD was fuelled by public fears over immigration and security after a spate of deadly attacks blamed on migrants and worries about the ailing economy.

Despite the strong result, the AfD is set to stay out of power for now, because its possible coalition partners refuse all cooperation with the far right. 

If the exit polls are confirmed in the final count, Merz looks near certain to become the next chancellor of Europe's top economy.

But in order to build a majority in parliament, he would have to team up with one or more parties, potentially the Social Democrats (SPD) of outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

The SPD recorded what was likely to be their worst result in the history of Germany's post-war democracy, with between 16 and 16.5 per cent. 

The Greens, another possible partner for the CDU/CSU, had 12 to 13.5 percent of the votes according to the exit polls. 

But the exact opportunities could depend on the final result for smaller parties. The far-left Linke looked to have cleared the five-percent hurdle to enter the Bundestag, with 8.5 to nine percent.

The pro-business Free Democrats (FDP), who were in government until recently, were right around the five-percent threshold, as was another far-left party, newcomer the BSW.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz lamented a "bitter" defeat after his centre-left Social Democrats slumped to a heavy loss in Sunday's national elections.

"The election result is poor and I bear responsibility," Scholz told SPD party members, while congratulating conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz, whose party came out on top.

BRUSSELS, Belgium — European Union leaders will hold a special summit on the Ukraine war on March 6 as US President Donald Trump makes overtures to Moscow over their heads, a top official announced Sunday.

"We are living a defining moment for Ukraine and European security," said Antonio Costa, who as head of the European Council organises the 27-nation body's meetings, as he announced the date of the "special" summit in a post on X.

Costa said his talks with European leaders had highlighted "a shared commitment to meet those challenges at EU level: strengthening European defence and contributing decisively to peace on our continent and long-term security of Ukraine."

European leaders have been shaken by Trump's overtures to Russia to end the three-year-old invasion and improve relations between the two powers. Many fear a deal to end the war could be made without European or Ukrainian involvement.

French President Emmanuel Macron called two meetings on Ukraine in Paris last week and will go to Washington on Monday for talks with Trump. Keir Starmer, prime minister of non-EU member Britain, will be at the White House later this week.

Trump on Saturday said he was trying to get money back for the billions of dollars sent to support Ukraine's war against Russia.

His comments came as Washington and Kyiv negotiate a mineral resources deal Trump wants as compensation for the wartime aid his predecessor Joe Biden gave Ukraine.

It was the latest twist in a whirlwind first month since he took office, during which he has upended US foreign policy by making diplomatic overtures towards the Kremlin over the heads of Ukraine and Europe.

Trump told delegates at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) near Washington: "I'm trying to get the money back, or secured.

"I want them to give us something for all of the money that we put up. We're asking for rare earth and oil, anything we can get.

"We're going to get our money back because it's just not fair. And we will see, but I think we're pretty close to a deal, and we better be close because that has been a horrible situation."

Hours earlier, a source told AFP that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was "not ready" to sign such a deal, despite growing US pressure.

War of words 

Trump's special envoy Keith Kellogg, who met Zelensky earlier this week, said the Ukrainian president understood signing a deal with the US was "critical"

But the Ukrainian source told AFP that Kyiv needed assurances first.

"In the form in which the draft is now, the president is not ready to accept, we are still trying to make changes and add constructiveness," the source close to the matter said.

Ukraine wants any agreement signed with the US to include security guarantees as it battles Russia's nearly three-year invasion.

The negotiations between the two countries come amid a deepening war of words between Trump and Zelensky that has raised alarm in Kyiv and Europe.

On Wednesday, Trump branded his Ukrainian counterpart a "dictator" and called for him to "move fast" to end the war, a day after Russian and US officials held talks in Saudi Arabia without Kyiv.

The US has proposed a United Nations resolution on the Ukraine conflict that omitted any mention of Kyiv's territory occupied by Russia, diplomatic sources told AFP.

'What kind of partnership is this?' 

Trump has asked for "$500 billion worth" of rare earth minerals to make up for aid given to Kyiv -- a price tag Ukraine has balked at and which is much higher than published US aid figures.

"There are no American obligations in the agreement regarding guarantees or investments, everything about them is very vague, and they want to extract $500 billion from us," the Ukrainian source told AFP of the proposed deal.

"What kind of partnership is this? And why do we have to give $500 billion, there is no answer," the source said, adding that Ukraine had proposed amendments to the draft.

The United States has given Ukraine more than $60 billion in military aid since Russia's invasion, according to official figures -- the largest such contribution among Kyiv's allies but substantially lower than Trump's figures.

The Kiel Institute, a German economic research body, said that from 2022 until the end of 2024, the United States gave a total of 114.2 billion euros ($119.8 billion) in financial, humanitarian and military aid.

Meanwhile, Russia launched 267 drones on Ukraine overnight, a "record" since the February 2022 invasion, the Ukrainian air force said Sunday. 

Air force spokesman Yuriy Ignat called the 267 drones spotted in Ukrainian skies between Saturday and Sunday "a record for a single attack" since the invasion began nearly three years ago.

Among them, 138 were intercepted by air defence while 119 were "lost" without causing damage, he said in a post on Facebook. 

He did not say what happened to the remaining 10 but a separate armed forces statement on Telegram said several regions, Kyiv included, had been "hit".

A Russian missile attack late Saturday left one man dead and five more wounded in the central town of Kryvyi Rig, regional authorities said Sunday.

To try to prevent daily Russian strikes, Ukraine has throughout the conflict sought to disrupt Russian logistics far from the front, notably by directly attacking military bases and industrial sites inside Russia itself.

Twenty Ukrainian drones launched against Russia were "destroyed" overnight, the Russian Defence Ministry said meanwhile in a Sunday report.

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, with the Kremlin claiming its aim is to protect itself against the threat of NATO expansion.

UK support 'ironclad' 

A senior Ukrainian official told AFP Friday that despite the tensions, talks on a possible agreement were "ongoing". Kellogg praised Zelensky as "courageous" after his visit to Kyiv earlier this week.

The row comes at a critical moment in the conflict. Ukraine marks the third anniversary of Russia's invasion on Monday and Kyiv's forces are slowly ceding ground on the frontline.

Moscow's defence ministry earlier on Saturday claimed the capture of Novolyubivka in the eastern Lugansk region, which is now largely under Russian control.

In a call with Zelensky on Saturday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged the "UK's ironclad support for Ukraine".

Zelensky, in response, praised the United Kingdom for showing "leadership" on the war with Russia.

In London, thousands of people marched in support of Ukraine on Saturday, and polls in the UK suggest strong support for Kyiv.

TOKYO — Japan's Emperor Naruhito renewed his wish for world peace on his birthday, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the Imperial Household Agency said on Sunday.

"I hope that this year, the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, will be an occasion... to remember the preciousness of peace in our hearts, and to renew our commitment to peace," Naruhito said in a speech to the IHA ahead of his 65th birthday.

"I believe that it is important to pass on the tragic experiences and history of war from the generation that experienced it to the generation that does not know of it," he said.

"Many precious lives were lost in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, air raids on Tokyo and other cities, ground battles in Okinawa, and fierce battles on Iwo Jima and overseas," he added.

"I believe it is important to nurture a love for peace by deepening our understanding of the past, not forgetting those who died and those who suffered."

With the world still suffering from wars, natural disasters and climate change, "I believe that even greater cooperation and collaboration within the international community is needed to build a tolerant society that respects and accepts different values and a peaceful world", he said.

Japan will mark the 80th anniversary of its surrender in World War II on August 15.

During WWII, Japan fought in China and Burma -- today, Myanmar -- against Allied forces, and tried to invade British-ruled India, of which Bangladesh was then a part.

The war ended in August 1945 after the United States dropped two nuclear bombs on Japan.

BERLIN — Germans began voting Sunday in a pivotal election, with the conservatives the strong favourites after a campaign rocked by a far-right surge and the dramatic return of US President Donald Trump.

Polling stations opened at 8:00 am (0700 GMT) with more than 59 million Germans eligible to vote and first estimates based on exit polls expected after polls close at 6:00 pm (1700 GMT).

Frontrunner Friedrich Merz has vowed a tough rightward shift if elected to win back voters from the far-right anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is eyeing a record result after a string of deadly attacks blamed on asylum seekers.

If he takes over from embattled centre-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz, as widely predicted given a yawning poll gap, the CDU leader has promised a "strong voice" in Europe at a time of chaotic disruption. 

The high-stakes vote in the European Union's biggest economy comes amid tectonic upheaval in US-Europe ties sparked by Trump's direct outreach to Russian President Vladimir Putin over their heads to end the Ukraine war.

Across Europe, NATO allies worry about the future of the alliance, nowhere more than in Germany which grew prosperous under the US-led security umbrella.

However, it may take Merz many weeks to negotiate a coalition government, spelling yet more political paralysis in Berlin during such fraught times.

In a strange twist to the polarised campaign, the AfD has basked in the glowing support lavished on it by Trump's entourage, with billionaire Elon Musk touting it as the only party to "save Germany".

Trump, asked about the elections in Germany, which he has berated over its trade, migration and defence policies, said dismissively that "I wish them luck, we got our own problems".

Merz, in his final CDU/CSU campaign event in Munich on Saturday, said Europe needed to walk tall to be able to "sit at the main table" of the world powers.

Voicing strong confidence, the 69-year-old former investment lawyer told supporters that "we will win the elections and then the nightmare of this government will be over".

"There is no left majority and no left politics anymore in Germany," Merz told a raucous beer hall, promising to tighten border controls and revive flagging Germany Inc.

Trade war feared 

For the next German leader, more threats loom from the United States, long its bedrock ally, if Trump sparks a trade war that could hammer Germany's recession-hit economy.

Scholz will stay in charge as caretaker until any new multi-party government takes shape -- a task which Merz has already said he hopes to achieve by Easter in two months.

Up to 30 percent of voters remained undecided last week, among them Sylvia Otto, 66, who said that "I still find it difficult to make a decision this time".

Speaking in Berlin, she said she wanted "a change -- but now a change to the right. That's very important to me".

At an AfD rally elsewhere in Berlin, a 49-year-old engineer, who gave his name only as Christian, praised the party's leader Alice Weidel as a "tough woman, stepping on the toes of the other parties".

These, he said, "are now adopting the AfD's programmes and passing them off as their own. So she is doing something right."

Spate of attacks 

Germany's political crisis was sparked when Scholz's unhappy coalition collapsed on November 6, the day Trump was re-elected.

Scholz's SPD, the Greens and the liberal FDP had long quarrelled over tight finances.

The SPD's historically low polls ratings of around 15 percent suggest Scholz paid the price for policy gridlock and Germany's parlous economic performance at a time the Ukraine war sent energy prices through the roof.

Frustration with the leadership fuelled the rise of the AfD, which has been polling at 20 percent but looks set to stay in opposition as all other parties have vowed to keep it out of power.

The AfD, strongest in the ex-communist east, is on track for its best-ever result after Germany was shocked by a series of high-profile attacks in which the suspects were asylum seekers.

In December a car-ramming through a Christmas market crowd killed six people and wounded hundreds, with a Saudi man arrested at the scene.

More deadly attacks followed, both blamed on Afghan asylum seekers: a stabbing spree targeting kindergarten children and another car-ramming attack in Munich.

On Friday, a Syrian man who police said wanted to "kill Jews" was arrested after a Spanish tourist was stabbed in the neck at Berlin's Holocaust memorial.

While Merz has vowed to shutter German borders and lock up those awaiting deportation, the AfD has argued that Germans will "vote for the original".

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis's ninth night in hospital was peaceful, the Vatican said Sunday, the day after revealing the 88-year-old was in a "critical" condition.

The pope had on Saturday suffered a prolonged respiratory attack and required blood transfusions, the Vatican said that evening, while adding that he was alert and sitting in a chair.

"At the moment the prognosis is reserved," the Saturday statement had concluded, sparking widespread alarm about the leader of the world's almost 1.4 billion Catholics.

Sunday morning's update from the Vatican was brief, saying: "The night passed peacefully, the pope rested."

A Vatican source later said that unlike earlier in the week, the Argentine pontiff had not eaten breakfast, nor had he read the newspapers.

Francis, head of the Catholic Church since 2013, was initially admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on February 14 with bronchitis, but it developed into double pneumonia.

Doctors had on Friday confirmed he was "not out of danger" but said he was slightly improved -- building hopes for a recovery that were swiftly dashed.

Suffering more 

"The Holy Father's condition continues to be critical, therefore, as explained (Friday), the pope is not out of danger," the Vatican said on Saturday evening.

It said Francis continued to be alert and "spent the day in an armchair even if he was suffering more than" the day before.

It said he had on Saturday morning suffered a "prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis, which also required the application of high-flow oxygen".

Daily blood tests also "showed thrombocytopenia, associated with anaemia, which required the administration of blood transfusions", it added.

Thrombocytopenia is a condition that occurs when the platelet count in someone's blood is too low, which can cause trouble stopping bleeding -- and can be life threatening.

Blood or platelet transfusions, delivered via an intravenous (IV) line into a blood vessel, are given to people who are either bleeding heavily or at very high risk of bleeding, according to the US National Institutes of Health (NIH).

"The pope gets worse," headlined Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper on Sunday morning, while La Repubblica described it as the "darkest day" at the Vatican.

"The situation is becoming more worrying," Fabrizio Pregliasco, a leading Italian virologist, told La Stampa daily, adding that "the next few hours and days will be crucial".

Prayers for the pope 

The Vatican had already confirmed Francis would not deliver his usual weekly Angelus prayer on Sunday, saying the text would be published, as it was last weekend.

The pontiff has delivered the prayer in the past from the balcony of the Gemelli, where he is staying in a special papal suite on the 10th floor.

A senior prelate was also brought into replace Francis in celebrating a Sunday morning mass for the Jubilee 2025, a special year of Catholic celebrations.

"Even though he is in a hospital bed we feel him close to us," Rino Fisichella said before reading out the homily at St Peter's Basilica, offering prayers for Francis in this "moment of trial".

The cardinal vicar of Rome, Baldo Reina, also urged believers to join him at a mass on Sunday evening in the Basilica of St John Lateran, calling on God to give Francis "the necessary strength".

A group of nuns and priests from around the world gathered Saturday outside the entrance of the Gemelli hospital, singing and praying for the pope.

Well-wishers have since Francis's admission been leaving candles bearing his picture at the foot of the statue of former pope John Paul II, who was also treated there many times.

Francis has said the papacy is a job for life, but has also left the door open to resigning like his predecessor Benedict XVI.

The German theologian in 2013 became the first pope since the Middle Ages to voluntarily step down, citing his ailing physical and mental health.

Francis had repeatedly said it was not yet the time to quit -- but his illness has raised fresh questions about his ability to fulfil his role.

The pope maintains a punishing work schedule, and in September made a 12-day tour to the Asia-Pacific.

But he has suffered increasing health issues, from colon surgery in July 2021 to a hernia operation in 2023. 

He is also overweight and has constant hip and knee pain, which force him to use a wheelchair most of the time.

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis will miss the Angelus prayer on Sunday for the second straight week as the 88-year-old is treated in hospital for pneumonia, the Vatican said Saturday.

The text will only be published, not read out, as it was last Sunday, spokesman Matteo Bruni said.

One of the doctors treating Pope Francis said on Friday the 88-year-old, who has pneumonia, was "not out of danger" and would likely stay in hospital "at least all next week".

Professor Sergio Alfieri said the pontiff's condition was "slightly better", made clear he was not hooked up to any machine -- and said Francis was cracking jokes.

"The question is, is the pope out of danger? No, the pope is not out of danger," he told a press conference at Rome's Gemelli hospital, where Francis was admitted on February 14 with breathing difficulties.

What began as bronchitis developed into double pneumonia, causing widespread alarm.

"If we send him to Santa Marta (his home at the Vatican), he'll start working again as before," Alfieri continued.

"So we're keeping him here. Right now, he's in the hospital, at least for all next week.

"We're keeping him here so that when he goes back to Santa Marta, it'll be harder for him to overdo it."

Francis, admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital with breathing difficulties, has slightly improved over the past couple of days despite pneumonia in both lungs, according to the Vatican.

Francis has disappeared from public view since his admittance to a special papal suite on the 10th floor of the Gemelli.

The Vatican said he is cheerful and has been alternating rest with reading, but has yet to publish the standard photographs of him in hospital that have marked his previous stays, fuelling rumours.

Francis -- who had part of one of his lungs removed as a young man, making him more prone to respiratory diseases -- has undergone hernia as well as colon surgery in the past four years.

He is overweight and suffers constant hip and knee pain, which force him to use a wheelchair most of the time.

"I love this Pope immensely", Gege Gerald, a deacon from Switzerland, told AFP in St Peter's Square, summing up the feelings of many faithful.

"I know he has done a lot of good for the Church, and he will do even more", he said.

Italian Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi told the Corriere della Sera on Friday he did not rule out Francis stepping down.

"Francis himself has said he had already signed a letter of resignation at the beginning of his pontificate," he said.

The fact that "a fundamental vital function such as breathing" was compromised complicates the matter, Ravasi told the paper.

"The knee is one thing, but if one feels that the entire body is in difficulty, it's another thing."

French Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline also said that while "completely confident in the lucidity of the pope", he would not rule out a resignation.

"If he considers that it is the best thing for the good of the Church, he will do it," he told journalists on Thursday.

But Cardinal Jean Claude Hollerich of Luxembourg said Francis certainly would not bow to pressure from his opponents to quit.

"The resignation will depend on how the pope recovers. The decision is up to Francis alone", he was quoted by AGI news agency as saying.

And rumours the pope was far sicker than believed were "fake news", Ravi said.

Whether or not he is contemplating retirement, Francis's "great desire is to at least complete the Jubilee", which began in December and is a year of Catholic celebrations, Ravasi said.

"He feels it is his great moment", he said.