Pope ‘addresses RESIGNATION rumours’ amid health crisis as cardinals circle to plot church’s future after his death

RUMOURS of Pope Francis’ resignation are gaining momentum as Cardinals start to gather, but an insider insists the Pontiff won’t be moved.

As the Pope spends his 19th day in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital with double pneumonia, pressure is building about the future of the church.

Reuters

Pope Francis’s friend and biographer has denied rumours he may resign[/caption]

Reuters

Faithful attend a prayer service in St. Peter’s Square, as Pope Francis continues his hospitalisation[/caption]

Reuters

Nuns look on ahead of a prayer service as Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square, at the Vatican[/caption]

Francis penned a resignation letter 12 years ago, in case he became too ill to serve, but despite his ongoing health battle, he will not give up, a friend has said.

As the frail Pope continues to work from his sickbed and pass over other duties to senior officials, Cardinals are reportedly gathering to discuss his resignation.

But Argentine journalist Elisabetta Pique, a friend and biographer of Francis, is adamant that the Pontiff will not step down.

“He’s always been a fighter. He doesn’t give in under pressure,” she said.

“The more pressure they put on him, the more likely he won’t give in.”

The Vatican has been equally firm in denying rumours that the Pope is considering a resignation.

But French Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, who is tipped to be one of the contenders to replace Francis, said at a press conference that “everything is possible.”

Despite growing fears about his health, the Pontiff has continued some of his work from his sickbed such as meeting with senior church members and conducting phone calls.

But, on Tuesday, the Vatican confirmed that Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, the former vicar of Rome, will replace him to lead the annual Ash Wednesday service on March 5.

It comes after the 88-year-old suffered a setback on Monday, which saw him put on a ventilator after two “acute respiratory failures”.

He suffered a “significant accumulation of endobronchial mucus and consequent bronchospasm,” The Vatican confirmed.

The Pontiff had to undergo two bronchoscopies where doctors examined his airways.

But on Tuesday, it was announced that Francis had been taken off the ventilator and is once again stable.

It added that the medical crises are believed to be the Pope’s body reacting to infection.

He is receiving oxygen through a nasal cannula and slept well during the night but his prognosis is described as “guarded”.

“The Holy Father has always remained vigilant, oriented and collaborative,” The Holy See added in a statement.

But while his condition appears to have stabilised, the prognosis remains uncertain.

Medical experts have warned that as Francis spends his 19th day in hospital, the repeated crises are alarming.

Bruno Crestani, head of the pulmonology department at Bichat hospital in Paris said: “At 88 years old, being in the hospital for two weeks and having repeated episodes of respiratory discomfort is a very bad sign”.

Hervé Pegliasco, head of pulmonology at the European Hospital in Marseille, added that with double pneumonia, “there is the issue of exhaustion, because he is forced to make much more effort to breathe”.

Francis, who has led the Catholic Church since 2013, has a history of lung problems, having had part of one lung removed due to pleurisy as a young man.

A full update on his condition is expected to be released on Tuesday evening.