Baby Charlie Gard Latest News: What's Next For Terminally Ill 11-Month Old Set To Die?

The fate of Charlie Gard, a terminally ill British infant whose case has caught widespread attention, remains unclear as there is no confirmed word on what's next for the 11-month-old baby suffering from a rare genetic disorder — mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome. The parents of the toddler, who is currently on life support in a London hospital, are fighting to take their son to the U.S. for an experimental treatment amid a court order rejecting their request.

London's Great Ormond Street Hospital, which earlier turned down the parents' plea to move Charlie to the U.S., has now refused a Vatican hospital's request to transfer the child to Rome for further treatment. On Tuesday, Vatican's Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital offered to help Charlie, but told the Washington Post on Wednesday the London hospital turned down the offer, citing legal reasons.

Read: Twitter Pours Support, Pope's Hospital Offers Treatment As Terminally Ill Baby Set To Die

The Vatican hospital's President Mariella Enoc said in a statement to the Post that doctors at the hospital in Rome who study rare diseases are in contact with international experts, including in the U.S., “to develop a protocol for experimental treatment for Charlie.”

“If we're willing to execute the Supreme Court ruling, the English hospital could accept Charlie's transfer to Rome. But the Bambino Gesù Childrens Hospital cannot consider this opportunity,” Enoc said.

Charlie's story caught worldwide attention after President Donald Trump offered to help the baby if the parents manage to bring him to the U.S.

Pope Francis also expressed his support for the baby, saying Charlie’s parents should be allowed to try every possibility to help treat their son.

“The Holy Father follows with affection and commotion the situation of Charlie Gard and expresses his own closeness to his parents. He prays for them, wishing that their desire to accompany and care for their own child to the end will be respected,” Greg Burke, the pope’s spokesman, said in a statement.

Last month, Charlie's parents had asked the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London to release the baby as they wanted to take him to the U.S. for treatment for the disorder that causes muscle and organ dysfunction and cerebral disorders. However, the hospital refused the parents' request, saying it might not be the best course of action.

Connie Yates and her husband Chris Gard filed a case in the European Court of Human Rights that ruled June 27 the boy could not be taken to the U.S. and should be removed from life support. Charlie's parents are struggling to save their child's life, and in order to fulfill this endeavor, they have raised more than $2 million through donations.

Read: Charlie Gard's Mother Responds After Trump Offers Help

Meanwhile, they are also in contact with the White House looking into ways to take Charlie to the U.S.

"The White House has been in talks with Charlie's family, GOSH, the UK Government, the Department of Health and the American doctor who wants to treat Charlie," a representative for the family reportedly said. "President Trump has a very good understanding of the whole case and he did not make an off-the-cuff tweet."

The toddler's mother Connie Yates told Sky News on Wednesday: "The support from the Pope and the president has given us hope. ... They are traditional men who believe in the family. They believe in our case and understand why we believe it is right to continue fighting so hard to save Charlie."