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

The Vatican announced that the Pope experienced a "sudden worsening" of his respiratory function due to a bronchospasm, which led to vomiting and inhalation complications, causing a  decline in his condition.

The Vatican says Pope Francis has continued making decisions and is improving, but his two-week hospital stay poses uncomfortable, unanswered questions about Vatican decision-making.

The Vatican said Friday that Pope Francis is on a breathing machine after suffering a sudden respiratory episode during his hospitalization.

The Vatican says the "criticality" of Pope Francis health condition "has subsided for the moment," but he's still hospitalized and the "prognosis remains guarded."

Francis was first admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital two weeks ago, after being plagued by a string of lung-related medical struggles, including bronchitis and then pneumonia.

Vice President JD Vance acknowledged Pope Francis’ criticism of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, without responding to any of its specifics or to the pontiff’s apparent criticism of Vance’s own deployment of Catholic tradition to justify such policies.

Despite his hospitalization, the pope has maintained a degree of governance and authorized the appointment of four new bishops.