In his final hours, the late Pope Francis expressed his heartfelt thanks to the personal nurse who cared for him around the clock during his illness.
Among the Argentine pontiff’s final words was a conversation with his personal healthcare assistant, Massimiliano Strappetti, with Pope Francis thanking him for enabling him to take one last ride in the popemobile and greet the throngs of people in St Peter’s Square on Easter, a day before he died, the Vatican News reports.
“Thank you for bringing me back to the Square,” the Pope was reported to have said to Strappetti.
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Pope Francis initially had some doubts about whether he would be able to get to the square, having been hospitalised recently for five weeks with pneumonia.
“Do you think I can manage it?” the pope asked Strappetti, his personal health care assistant, according to the Vatican News.
The pope was reassured, and he stopped to reach out to people, especially children, as he was driven through the crowd of 50,000 — the first time since his release from the hospital that he had mixed with the faithful at large.
The Pope then rested on Sunday afternoon and had a quiet dinner.
The pontiff showed the first signs of illness around 5.30am the next day.
Around an hour later, he made a gesture of farewell with his hand to Strappetti.
As he lay in bed in his second-floor apartment at the Casa Santa Marta, the Pope fell into a coma and died shortly after, aged 88.
Strappetti had stayed by the Pope’s side during his 38-day hospital stay at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, and oversaw his recovery at the Casa Santa Marta.
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Pope Francis has previously credited Strappetti with saving his life after the nurse suggested he undergo colon surgery.
Strappetti was appointed by the Pope as his personal healthcare assistant in 2022.
Funeral set for Saturday
Francis’ funeral will be held Saturday at 10am (6pm AEST) in St Peter’s Square, celebrated by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re.
US President Donald Trump said he and first lady Melania Trump plan to attend, and Argentine President Javier Milei is also expected.
He will lie in state starting Wednesday in St. Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff.
According to current norms, the conclave to choose Francis’ successor must begin between May 5 and 10.
