Following the death or resignation of a pope, the Catholic Church elects a new pope through an election by cardinals who meet in a conclave Pope Francis remained hospitalized Wednesday, five days after he was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital with a respiratory infection.

Reports of Pope Francis' critical health condition have put global media outlets including CNN, CBS and NBC, in high gear to descend upon Rome.

Pope Francis has been in hospital for 11 days, with recent blood tests show early, mild kidney failure after he experienced a respiratory crisis.

Surgeon Sergio Alfieri spoke reassuringly of Pope Francis’s condition in English on Feb. 21, but another doctor in Italian warned the infection could be fatal if it spread to the pope’s blood.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the results of tests conducted in recent days and Monday indicate the pope is suffering from a “polymicrobial respiratory tract infection” that has necessitated a further change in his drug therapy.

Pope Francis, who is receiving treatment for a respiratory tract infection, had a peaceful night in Rome's Gemelli hospital, Italy's ANSA news agency reported on Sunday.

Pope Francis has been admitted to hospital after a case of bronchitis persisted for more than a week, a Vatican spokesman said on Friday.

Chairs are prepared in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025, ahead of a rosary vigil prayer for the health of Pope Francis who is in critical

A special mass was held for Pope Francis at the Vatican in Rome, where officials say he showed ‘slight improvement’.

On February 24, prayers for Pope Francis continued at Gemelli Hospital, where the Holy Father remains hospitalized. In the St. John Paul II Chapel, Adoration was led by the chaplain at noon, followed by Holy Mass. Let's continue to pray for Pope Francis. pic.twitter.com/ZCZm5mskYg

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