"Thank you for your closeness, and for the consoling prayers I have received from all over the world!" In a late update on Sunday, the Vatican said Francis remains in critical condition and blood tests show early kidney failure but he remains alert and "well-oriented.

While the Vatican has detailed laws and rituals to ensure the transfer of power when a pope dies or resigns, they do not apply if he is sick or even unconscious.

JD Vance was mocked Thursday for offering “cringe” advice to young men he says mainstream U.S. culture now opposes: Crack a beer, tell jokes, and embrace your masculinity. The

Faithful gathered at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican and outside Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Monday (February 24) as Pope Francis remains critically ill but alert, according to the Vatican. Could these jumping mice change how astronauts exercise?

Prayers are pouring in from parishioners all across San Diego after Pope Francis was listed in critical condition.

The pope looms so large in everyday Italian life that there are lots of expressions that make light of even a dark event like his death.

Pope Francis' condition has slightly improved, the Vatican said in a medical update on Monday, adding that his "slight" kidney problem was not a cause for concern. (Reporting by Alvise Armellini, editing by Crispian Balmer) Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

Rome’s diocese invited all the parishes and religious communities of the city to hold a communitarian silent prayer on Wednesday afternoon for the health of Pope Francis.

A pope dies, they make another,” goes one, suggesting how life goes on. “Every death of a pope …” starts another, indicating a rare occurrence. But the one most frequently heard when a pope is actually sick is perhaps the darkest: “The pope is fine until he’s dead.

Daily evening prayers will be held for Pope Francis at the Vatican's St. Peter's Square as he remains hospitalized in Rome, Italy, for a complex lung infection.