The Vatican says Pope Francis remains in critical condition and blood tests show early kidney failure but he remains alert and “well-oriented.”
Time-honored rituals, drafted and refined over centuries, allow for ritual mourning and provide order at a dramatic moment of transition.
Reports of Pope Francis' critical health condition have put global media outlets including CNN, CBS and NBC, in high gear to descend upon Rome.
The pontiff's condition is touch-and-go, given his age, fragility and pre-existing lung disease, according to doctors.
A group of nuns, priests and students from a Catholic university gathered outside the Gemelli Hospital in Rome on Monday to pray for Pope Francis who is battling pneumonia.