VATICAN, Vatican City, March 31 (UPI) -- A gravely ill Pope John Paul II has been given the last rites of the Roman Catholic Church, sources told CNN Thursday.
The pontiff's condition deteriorated throughout the day and he was suffering a "very high fever" due to a urinary tract infection, the Vatican said in a statement.
A day earlier, the Vatican said John Paul, 84, had been put on a nasal feeding tube for nutrition. He underwent surgery last month to have a breathing tube inserted in his throat.
"The holy father suffers from an urinary tract infection," Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro Valls said.
The pope appeared at his window Wednesday and tried to speak several times without success before being led away. Witnesses described him as looking very weak.
He has several chronic illnesses, including hip and knee ailments and Parkinson's disease, a progressive neurological disorder.
