The Pope seems to be dying, I wish I was still in Rome to see it, not him die but all the stuff that happens around it, the conclave and all the people praying in St Peter's Square. I can't say I am at all sad, I really don't like this pope, not that I am catholic or even religious, but studying in Rome so much and doing lots of research into the history of the Catholic Church has made me very interested in it all. Pope 'given Last Rites' Vatican City April 1, 2005 - 7:56AM Pope John Paul, whose health deteriorated suddenly on Thursday, has received the Roman Catholic sacrament reserved for the sick and dying, Italian media reported. A Vatican spokesman said he could not confirm the reports, but Church sources said it was likely the Pontiff had received the sacrament, given the precarious state of his health. The sacrament, which involves anointing the sick person with special oils, was once called "Last Rites" or "Extreme Unction". It is now known as the Sacrament of the Infirm. Earlier, a Vatican spokesman said the Pope had developed a high fever because of a urinary tract infection. The news came a day after the 84-year-old pontiff began receiving nutrition through a feeding tube. "The Holy Father today was struck by a high fever caused by a confirmed infection of the urinary tract," spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said. The pope was on antibiotics. "The medical situation is being strictly controlled by the Vatican medical team that is taking care of him," he said. Earlier, the Italian news agencies Apcom and ANSA said the Pope had suffered an alarming drop in blood pressure this evening. Vatican officials are reported to be increasingly pessimistic about the prospects for Pope John Paul's full recovery from his ailments, with many agreeing that he has entered a new and perhaps final phase of his long papacy. The Vatican sources, all clerics who work in the Vatican, spoke on condition of anonymity today about the mood inside the tiny city-state where the Pope is supreme sovereign. Speaking a day after doctors began feeding the Pontiff via a tube in his nose, they expressed various shades of pessimism. "We are on stand-by for anything," one priest who works in an important Vatican department said. "Hardly anyone thinks the situation will improve but everyone is hoping for a miracle," he said. Doctors yesterday inserted a feeding tube through the Pope's nose and into his stomach to try to boost his strength and help his recovery. "If you add up Parkinson's disease, his age, his previous stomach operations, his breathing difficulties, his digestive problems, it makes for a pretty grim picture," the priest said. Vienna's Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn said the Pope was "approaching, as far as a person can tell, the end of his life," the Austrian news agency APA reported. The Pope has difficultly swallowing because Parkinson's Disease limits muscle movement. He has had a breathing tube, known as a cannula, in his throat since February 24. The cannula is expected to be permanent. The nasal feeding tube is expected to be temporary but if he does not regain the ability to eat normally it may have to be replaced with a permanent tube inserted directly into his stomach. "I know the Pope is very disappointed with the progress of his rehabilitation and would like it to be much faster," said another source, a Vatican monsignor. "This is a new phase in this papacy," the source said, adding the Pope would most likely have to face what looks set to be "a permanent state of precarious health". The source said the Pope was still being briefed on Church business and was able "to communicate both in writing and speaking". Shortly before the feeding tube was inserted yesterday, the Pope dramatically failed in his efforts to speak in public for the second time in four days. But the monsignor said the Pope had been able to speak in private, otherwise he would not have asked for a microphone on both occasions. "Everyone here is worried," said another cleric. All four Vatican sources said the Pope was still lucid and alert despite his physical difficulties. "No-one is trying to pull the wool over his eyes," one of the monsignors said. A Vatican statement yesterday was at pains to say the Pope was still in charge. The statement said the Pope was spending "many hours of the day" in an armchair, celebrating Mass in his private chapel, and was in "working contact with his aides, directly following the activity of the Holy See and the Church". The Pope underwent a tracheotomy on February 24 in Rome's Gemelli Hospital, where he spent a total of 28 days in two stints in February and March. - Reuters/AP