Pope Francis on Saturday offered his prayers for a seriously ill British girl whose parents lost their legal battle last month to keep her alive and transfer her to the Vatican's children's hospital in Rome.
Eight-month-old Indi Gregory suffers from a rare and incurable mitochondrial disease that means her cells don't produce enough energy.
His doctors say he is in a lot of pain and distress and that there is no point in continuing treatment. On Friday, his parents lost another lawsuit seeking to move life support home instead of being in a hospital.
The Pope "embraces the family of little Indi Gregory, her father and mother, prays for them and for her, and turns his thoughts to all the children who, in these very hours, throughout the world, are experiencing pain or whose lives are at risk from illness and war." said a Vatican statement.
England's High Court ruled in October that it was in the baby's best interest to take him off life support, rejecting a request from his parents to be allowed to air her to the Vatican's Bambino Gesu children's center.
Earlier this week, the Italian government granted the girl Italian citizenship in an additional, but apparently unsuccessful, measure aimed at preventing doctors from taking her off life support and allowing her to be transferred to Italy
- United Kingdom
- Pope Francis I