Rudy Giuliani given last rites while hospitalized with pneumonia but now improved, doctor says

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's health was so dire over the weekend that a Catholic priest visited the hospital to administer last rites, his doctor told Fox News. 

Giuliani, 81, whose condition has since improved, was hospitalized with pneumonia in Florida following a trip to Paris. He needed hospitalization after he had trouble breathing and was placed in a ventilator.

A priest was summoned at that time to Giuliani's bedside to give the sacraments of last rites.

"He’s a fighter — the way he was yesterday in such a critical condition, he did have a priest come anoint him," his doctor Maria Ryan told Fox. "And all the prayers from around — it’s like a miracle. This guy’s got nine lives. Today he’s doing much better."

Giuliani has since been removed from the ventilator and is breathing on his own. He has been diagnosed with restrictive airway disease tied to his exposure in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

Tuesday afternoon, a spokesman speaking on a reel on Giuliani's Facebook page said the former mayor remains in "critical but stable condition." 

Giuliani was a top prosecutor and two-term New York City mayor who ran unsuccessfully for Senate and president, and later was disbarred after making false public statements about fraud in President Donald Trump's loss in the 2020 election. 

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.