The medical staff looking after Pope Francis considered ending his treatment so he could die, according to the doctor who led the team caring for the pontiff.

After 38 days in the hospital, Pope Francis finally left on March 23, marking the longest hospitalization in the pope’s 12-year papacy. The medical staff overseeing his care during the

Pope Francis’ medical team briefly considered suspending treatment after a Feb. 28 breathing crisis but instead decided on an aggressive course that put his organs at risk, the doctor coordinating the pope’s hospital care said in an interview published Tuesday.