Time-honored rituals, drafted and refined over centuries, allow for ritual mourning and provide order at a dramatic moment of transition.

Pope Francis, who has been in hospital for 10 days now, is critical with mild signs of kidney failure. There is growing speculation about the 88-year-old pontiff’s successor. Who could it be?

With Pope Francis remaining in critical condition fighting a complex respiratory infection and bilateral pneumonia, the cardinals and curial officials in Rome have organized a rosary and special Mass for the pontiff.

The 88-year-old pontiff is still receiving oxygen therapy through his nose, though at a slightly reduced flow and concentration, according to the Holy See Press Office.

Pope Francis’ medical team says the pontiff's condition isn’t life-threatening. But they said Friday that Francis isn't out of danger.

Built on land donated by Pope Pius XI to the theologian and physician Agostino Gemelli in 1934, it has become known as the “Pope’s Hospital.” John Paul II even nicknamed it “Vatican Three,” with St Peter’s Square being Vatican One, and the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo, Vatican Two.

Pope Francis remained in critical condition as the Vatican called senior church officials in Rome to a special saying of the rosary in St. Peter’s Square.

The Vatican created a mini-residence on site, a top-floor apartment guarded by police. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Pope Francis is still critically ill as he battles double pneumonia, but his condition has shown a "slight improvement", the Vatican said.

You can get in touch with Jesus by emailing [email protected] The chaplain of the Agostino Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Francis remains hospitalized, has called for faith and prayer, urging Catholics to embrace "hope against all hope" as concerns over the pontiff's health persist.

Rome's Gemelli hospital, where Pope Francis is being treated for pneumonia, is the favoured choice of pontiffs — to the point of being dubbed "Vatican III" by John Paul II. The 88-year-old Francis is on his fourth stay at the Gemelli since 2021.