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 children’s hospital in Rome.
Eight-month-old Indi Gregory suffers from a rare and incurable mitochondrial disease that means her cells do not produce enough energy.
His doctors say he is in a lot of pain and distress and there is no point in continuing treatment. On Friday, her parents lost another lawsuit in which they sought to move life support home instead of in a hospital.
The Pope “embraces the family of little Indi Gregory, her father and mother, prays for them and for her, and directs his thoughts to all the children who in these same hours, throughout the world, are experiencing pain or “His life is at risk from disease and war,” a Vatican statement said.
England’s High Court ruled in October that it was in the baby’s best interest to be taken off life support, rejecting a request by her parents to be allowed to transport her by plane to the Vatican’s Bambino Gesu pediatric centre.
Earlier this week, the Italian government granted the girl Italian citizenship in a further but apparently unsuccessful move aimed at preventing doctors from taking her off life support and allowing her to be transferred to Italy.
