Rome, 23 February 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Pope Francis' condition worsened on Saturday following a "prolonged asthma attack" that required the administration of oxygen and an anaemic condition requiring a blood transfusion, according to the Vatican.

The 88-year-old head of the Catholic Church, who has been hospitalized in Rome for over a week due to respiratory illness, rested afterward and spent a quiet night in hospital, a spokesman for the Holy See said on Sunday morning.

The pontiff's condition "remains critical," according to the Holy See spokesman Saturday evening, after Saturday's blood tests revealed a lack of thrombocytes, which are blood platelets needed for blood clotting.

The pope has been hospitalized at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome since Friday last week.

A few days ago, doctors diagnosed bilateral pneumonia, saying that the pontiff's clinical picture is complex.

Francis also suffers from a respiratory infection with various pathogens.

He has been in poor health for a long time. Concern for him has been widespread worldwide since he was admitted to hospital.

According to his doctors, one of the most serious complications could be sepsis, a severe blood poisoning.

German cardinal says pope's resignation 'not an option'

German Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller has dismissed speculation about Pope Francis possibly stepping down, asserting that abdication is "not an option" for the leader of the Catholic Church.

"You don't abandon the cross," Müller told the Italian daily Il Messaggero in comments published on Sunday.

In the interview, Müller also criticized the resignation of Francis' German predecessor, Benedict XVI, who unexpectedly abdicated in 2013. "I never understood the reasons for this step," he said.

Expressing scepticism about papal abdications due to exhaustion or inability to govern, Müller warned that such resignations could weaken the principle of the Church's visible unity.

"Renunciation must not become a routine matter, like stepping down from a company," he added.