The Pope has called for a solution to the case surrounding Alfie Evans.
Pope Francis mentioned the Liverpool toddler in his Sunday prayers as his family prepare to take their son’s fight for life to the Court of Appeal.
Bootle-born Alfie has been treated at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital for an undiagnosed degenerative brain disease since late 2016.
His parents Tom Evans and Katie James will ask judges to allow them to transfer his care to the Bambino Gesu hospital in Rome.
An end-of-life care plan for the 23-month-old has been drawn up by specialists after a High Court granted doctors the right to withdraw his life support.
Earlier this month, Pope Francis publicly offered his support to Alfie and his family on Twitter and urged that ‘the deep suffering of his parents may be heard’.
But the Pontiff refused to take a position on either side of the latest legal argument ahead of Monday’s scheduled hearing in London.
He said: “I entrust to your prayer people such as Vincent Lambert in France, little Alfie Evans in England, and others in different countries who live, sometimes for a long period, in a state of grave illness, medically assisted for their basic needs.
“These are delicate situations, very painful and complex.
“Let us pray that every sick person will always be respected in their dignity and cared for in a way adapted to their condition, with the joint efforts of families, doctors and other health care workers, and with great respect for life.”