Prayers for Pope as condition remains 'critical'

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

- Agence France-Presse

VATICAN CITY:

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.