Alfie Evans granted Italian citizenship - UPDATE

Alfie Evans this morning 24/4

Source: Vatican Media/FB/Twitter

(see update below) Hours before medical staff were due to begin withdrawing life support from Alfie Evans, Vatican Media announced today that Italy has granted the child Italian citizenship - in the hope that this will allow him to be transferred from Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool to the Bambino Gesù children hospital in Rome - which has offered more support.

"Foreign Ministers Angelino Alfano and Interior Minister Marco Minniti granted naturalization to little Alfie. In this way, the Italian government wants the Italian citizenship to enable the child's immediate transfer to Italy," said a statement from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Pope Francis said in a Twitter message today: "Moved by the prayers and immense solidarity shown little Alfie Evans, I renew my appeal that the suffering of his parents may be heard and that their desire to seek new forms of treatment may be granted."

Posting on Facebook, Alfie's father Tom said: "Alfie has been granted Italian citizenship. We await for the [Italian] foreign minister to call Boris Johnson."

* UPDATE - The hospital switched off Alfie's life support after 9pm last night but he has continued breathing on his own. The Bambino Gesu Hospital is still prepared to take him for paliative care. There will be another High Court hearing after 3 this afternoon.

See: www.facebook.com/freeAlfieEvans/ for ongoing updates.