LONDON (AP) — A member of the medical team that treated Charlie Gard has defended their care for the infant who died of a rare genetic disease while criticizing political and religious leaders who intervened in the case.

The health care worker wrote an anonymous opinion piece in the Guardian newspaper Saturday, saying staff at Great Ormond Street Hospital "loved this child to bits" but reached the point where they could do no more.

The worker argues Charlie's suffering was prolonged by high-profile comments from Pope Francis, President Donald Trump and U.K. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. The social media sensation that followed triggered abuse of hospital staff.

The worker says: "You have contributed to the family's pain, you have been fighting a cause you know nothing about. It's not been helpful to anyone."