Pope Francis's condition "continues to be critical", the Vatican said Saturday, saying the 88-year-old was alert but had a respiratory attack that required "high-flow oxygen", and also blood transfusions.

"The Holy Father's condition continues to be critical, therefore, as explained yesterday, the pope is not out of danger," the Vatican said in its regular early evening update.

"This morning Pope Francis presented a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis, which also required the application of high-flow oxygen," it said.

Pope Francis (C) gestures as he arrives for a weekly general audience at Paul-VI hall in the Vatican last month. Photo: Andreas SOLARO / AFP.Pope Francis (C) gestures as he arrives for a weekly general audience at Paul-VI hall in the Vatican last month. Photo: Andreas SOLARO / AFP.

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

"The Holy Father continues to be alert and spent the day in an armchair even if he was suffering more than yesterday. At the moment the prognosis is reserved."

Francis was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on February 14 with bronchitis, but it turned into pneumonia in both lungs, causing widespread alarm.

The pontiff's doctors had told a press conference on Friday there was no imminent risk to his life but that he was "not out of danger".

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.