Pope Francis has expressed sympathy for the parents of Charlie Gard, a 10-month-old infant in Britain with irreversible brain damage who will be taken off life support in the coming days after his parents lost a legal battle over his treatment.
“The Holy Father follows with affection and emotion the case of baby Charlie Gard,” Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said.
“He prays for (Charlie’s parents), wishing that their desire to accompany and care for their own child until the end will be respected,” Burke said.
Chris Gard and Connie Yates were prevented by doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London from taking the infant, widely known as Baby Charlie, to a therapy trial in the US. Their son suffers from a rare genetic condition that causes progressive muscle weakness and brain damage.
Specialists at the hospital had said the therapy proposed by a US doctor is experimental and will not help, and that life support for the child should be stopped.
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