Pope Francis health latest: Live updates as Vatican confirm pontiff ‘resumes some work’ and is showing ‘slight improvement’ but remains in a critical condition

Pope Francis waves to crowds in Dublin on a visit to Ireland in 2018

Bishop of Norwich Graham Usher said Pope Francis was in his prayers, recalling:

It is a privilege to have met him twice, the most recent only six weeks ago in Rome, when his eyes sparkled with warmth and prayerful attentiveness.

The Bishop added: ‘Like so many around the world and in the Diocese of Norwich, Pope Francis remains in my prayers.

‘I trust he will be given health and strength to continue the ministry entrusted to him, not least his prioritisation of the care of the economically poorest people and the care of the environment.

‘In both, he continues to be a prophetic witness.’

Northern Irish Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin said today:

Pope Francis has a special place in the hearts of the people of Ireland and this closeness was especially evident during his visit to Dublin and Knock in August 2018.

He continued: ‘Since his hospitalisation on February 14, we have been praying in a special way for the health and recovery of the Holy Father.’

Maria Vozlv, a Ukrainian who has lived in Rome for 18 years and gathered outside Gemelli hospital today with other faithfuls, said many in her home country were praying for Francis.

The pontiff has often decried the Russia-Ukraine war – which had its third anniversary today – and prayed for peace.

We Ukrainians are really praying for him. He needs to get well and come home.

The Pope meets a group of Ukrainian children during a general audience earlier this month

Francis shakes hands with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky ahead of their private audience at the Vatican in October last year

Candlelit vigils before the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005

It has been suggested that the nightly prayers for Pope Francis’s health which will start this evening are remniscent of the nighttime candlelit vigils that preceded the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005.

From today until Francis recovers, there will also be a daily Eucharistic Adoration and Mass at the Gemelli hospital, in the chapel there named for John Paul. The first of these Mass services today was standing room-only, with around 200 attendees.

An Italian man named Filomena Ferraro, who was visiting a relative in hospital, said:

We are very sorry. Pope Francis is a good pope, let’s hope that he makes it. Let us hope.

In New York City on Sunday, Cardinal Timothy Dolan said he felt the Catholic faithful were united ‘at the bedside of a dying father’.

In his homily from the pulpit of St Patrick’s Cathedral, he said:

Our Holy Father Pope Francis is in very, very fragile health, and probably close to death.

But he later told reporters he hoped and prayed the pontiff would ‘bounce back’.

Pope Francis praying as a Jewish Rabbi looks on at the Western Wall in 2014

Fellow Jesuit and theologian Antonio Spadaro, who is close with Francis, told Italian newspaper La Repubblica: ‘At this moment in history, one feels the need for his figure.’

He added there were ‘many people around the world, including those in positions of responsibility, who are genuinely concerned because they know that Francis is one of the few who is able to connect the dots in a world that seems to be split’.

The pope is vigilant, he is exercising his pastoral duty even from his hospital bed, and – although in a different, less visible manner – he manifests his presence.’

Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich of Luxembourg said both Catholics and non-Catholics love Francis because ‘he welcomes everyone, without distinction, with an open heart’.

He added: ‘He has returned the Church to its most authentic nature… A close Church which consoles, listens and accompanies.’

Preparations for the evening rosary, praying for Pope Francis’ health, taking place in St Peter’s Square in Rome tonight, have begun.

The service will start at 9pm Rome time and will be led by Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the second highest ranking official in the Vatican.

A large screen has been erected on a rainy day in the Italian city to announce tonight’s service:

Here are some fascinating snapshots of the recent years of Pope Francis’s papacy. In order:

• Francis celebrates Mass in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in February 2019 – marking the first time a pope visited an Arab Gulf state.
• The Pope shakes hands with a man dressed as Spider-Man, who goes to hospitals to entertain sick children, in June 2021. He gave Francis a Spider-Man mask of his very own.
• The pontiff is driven through Iraq on a golf buggy, surrounded by ruined churches, in March 2021. It was the first time a pope had visited Iraq and it was Francis’ first trip abroad after the Covid pandemic.
• Francis blesses a boy during one of his general audiences at the Vatican in April 2022.
• The Pope greets a young boy at a general audience in the same month.
• The pontiff meets former US President Joe Biden in June 2024.
• During a general audience in April 2022, Pope Francis shows a Ukrainian flag that was sent to him from the town of Bucha, Ukraine.

The Pope revealed in 2022 that soon after his election in 2013, he submitted a resignation letter that would take effect should illness prevent him fulfilling his duties.

He made the comment in Spanish newspaper ABC when asked what happens if health issues suddenly leave a pope unable to do his job.

At the time, he was suffering with knee pain that left him wheelchair-bound for months.

Francis said: ‘In practice there is already a rule. I have already signed my renunciation.

‘I signed it and said, “If I should become impaired for medical reasons or whatever, here is my resignation. Here you have it”.’

Once he drafted his letter in 2013, he handed it to Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Secretary of State at the time – the second highest position in the Vatican.

The Pope suspected the letter was passed on to Bertone’s successor, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

When President Donald Trump visited the Vatican in May 2017, Pope Francis greeted him, along with wife Melania Trump, by asking her jokingly, ‘What are you feeding him, potica?’

He was referring to a traditional Slovenian dessert – presumably known to Slovenian-born Mrs Trump – which is a rolled sweet bread with filling, like a Swiss roll.

She replied, ‘Potica, yes’, before sharing a laugh with the Pope about the diet of her 6’3″, 15-stone husband.

A daily hour-long Eucharistic Adoration service, followed by Mass – at Gemelli hospital, where the Pope is being treated – has been introduced from today until he recovers.

Pictures of the first of these services have emerged. Take a look:

Here are some more images from the archive which chart the varied life and papal career of Pope Francis. In order:

• Before becoming pope, Francis was Archbishop of Buenos Aires. In that role, he took the bus to work and cooked his own meals, as seen in this picture from 2008, which shows him taking public transport to Mass.
• The day after he was elected pope in 2013, he made sure to head down to the reception desk at the clerical accommodation he stayed in during the election, to pay his lodging bill himself.
• The pontiff donned a red nose in 2013 when two workers for a charity that brings clowns into hospitals, nursing homes and orphanages to entertain patients got married.
• The Pope answered reporters’ questions impromptu on a flight back from Brazil in 2013. In response to a question about LGBTQ+ people in the clergy, he said: ‘If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?’ Many saw the remark as a milestone for the Catholic world, marking a shift into a more tolerant era.
• Francis’s predecessor Benedict XVI greets him at St Peter’s Basilica in February 2015.
• The Pope prays on the floor of St Peter’s Basilica on Good Friday, April 2015.
• Francis is named Person of the Year by Time magazine in 2013, the year of his election as pope.

Starting today, until Francis has recovered in the Gemelli hospital in Rome, there will be an hour of Eucharistic Adoration every day from noon until 1pm at the hospital’s chapel, the Vatican has announced.

The hour-long services at the St John Paul II Chapel will be followed by Mass.

During the services, special prayers will be offered for the Pope.

Later today, at 4.30pm Rome time, the rosary will be recited in front of the statue of St John Paul II in the square outside the hospital and Mass will follow at 5pm in the Hospital Hall.

The Vatican said: ‘Everyone all around the world is invited to participate in these moments of prayer – both physically and spiritually.’

It suggested those outside Rome recite the following prayer:

Lord Jesus, Redeemer of the world, who took upon yourself our pain and carried our suffering in your passion, hear the prayer we offer for our sick brother: grant him trust and revive his hope, that he may be lifted up in body and spirit.

From royalty, to musicians, to tech magnates, to Hollywood actors, Pope Francis has met his fair share of big names.

Have a look at some examples of his famous meet and greets, compiled by our MailOnline video team, below:

Our MailOnline video team has put together some clips of the vehicles used by Francis on world tours.

The popemobile was specially designed to allow the pontiff to be more visible when greeting large crowds.

The Vatican has announced Cardinals will gather in St Peter’s Square tonight at 9pm to pray for the health of Pope Francis – starting a nightly tradition until the Pope recovers.

The Holy See Press Office released a statement announcing Pietro Parolin, the Cardinal Secretary of State of Vatican City, will lead the rosary.

Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller has told Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera it is not the time to think about who will succeed Pope Francis in the Vatican.

In remarks published by the newspaper, Cardinal Müller said:

The Pope is alive now and this is the time to pray , not to think about who will be his successor. And if there is someone who thinks about the future while Francis is in the hospital , it is not good, it is not good at all.

I have known Pope Francis for a long time, there is a personal, emotional bond. We must pray for him, for his recovery, knowing that everything is in God’s hands and we cannot change the situation. Moreover, at this moment it is important that first of all we cardinals bear witness to our faith.

Cardinal Müller, who was a close friend of the Pope’s predecessor Benedict XVI, insisted the Catholic Church was ‘ready for all possibilities’.

The scene outside Rome’s Gemelli Hospital

The chaplain of Rome’s Gemelli Hospital where the Pope is being treated has reportedly said the time has come to ‘hope against all hope’.

Father Nunzio Corrao led a prayer at the hospital earlier today in which he is reported to have said:

‘In this moment, I would like to ask for Abraham’s same faith, the ‘spes contra spem’, hope against all hope.’

Latin phrase ‘Spes contra spem’ originates from St Paul’s Epistle to the Romans and is used to describe someone who does not abandon all chances of hope despite facing adverse circumstances.

According to reports, Father Corrao recalled the pontiff’s desire for peace during the prayer held in the St John Paul II chapel.

I am certain that the Pope is also using this moment of suffering to ask the Lord for peace after three years of war in Europe, as well as in the Middle East, without also forgetting the other wars.

The pontiff has had many iconic moments over the course of his twelve-year papacy. Here are a few more of the best photographs that capture them:

• Pope Francis speaks at the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN in New York City, urging world leaders to combat poverty and environmental destruction, in September 2015.
• The pontiff dons a sombrero given to him by a Mexican journalist on a flight to Havana, Cuba, in February 2016.
• Francis welcomes twelve Syrian refugees, including six children, to Rome. He brought them there in the papal plane from refugee camps on the Greek island of Lesbos and said he would maintain them during their new lives in Italy, in April 2016.

Here are some of the best pictures of the Pope from the early part of his papacy. In order:

• The Pope prays in front of the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest site, in Jerusalem, in May 2014.
• The pontiff is presented with a birthday cake during a weekly audience for his 78th birthday in December 2014.
• Francis meets the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, on their visit to Rome in April 2014.
• He shakes hands with former Cuban leader Fidel Castro in Castro’s residence in Havana – where the pair were said to have had a friendly, informal chat and exchanged books – in September 2015.
• The Pope addresses a joint session of the US Congress, challenging the USA to join a worldwide campaign against climate change and poverty and encouraging the country to embrace undocumented migrants in September 2015.
• Former US president Barack Obama leans over for a chat with Pope Francis during a state arrival ceremony at the White House in September 2015.

A chilling prediction about Pope Francis made by 16th-century astrologer Nostradamus has been unearthed after the Vatican revealed the pontiff was in ‘critical condition’.

Michel de Nostredame, better known as Nostradamus, supposedly predicted the fate of the Pope in a rediscovered quote from his book Les Propheties, published in 1555.

In prophecies written nearly 500 years ago, Nostradamus warned of the ‘death of a very old Pontiff.’

He wrote: ‘Through the death of a very old Pontiff… a Roman of good age will be elected. Of him it will be said that he weakens his see… but long will he sit and in biting activity.’

Pope Francis has become known as a dynamic leader, unafraid to challenge tradition across his twelve-year papacy. Here are some examples of the ways in which he has broken with Catholic tradition:

• Election, February 2013 – Francis was the first pope from the Americas, the first to take the papal name Francis and the first Jesuit pope. He chose to live in the Vatican guesthouse, instead of the official papal residence called the Apostolic Palace. He went to events in a Fiat instead of a Mercedes-Benz.
• Investigation of the Vatican Bank, August 2013 – He set up a commission to investigate the bank, long suspected of money laundering and corruption, which would report back to him directly.
• Public confession, March 2014 – Before Francis confessed his sins to a priest at a penitential service designed for confession by churchgoers, there was no instance in recent memory of a pope going to confession in public.
• Appointed first woman to the Synod of Bishops, February 2021 – Sister Nathalie Becquart, from France, was the first woman appointed as an undersecretary to the Synod of Bishops, which advises the pontiff and debates the biggest issues in the Catholic Church.
• Criticism of laws that criminalise homosexuality, January 2023 – He criticised such laws as ‘unjust’, saying God loves all his children as they are and adding: ‘Being homosexual isn’t a crime.’ He advised Catholic bishops to welcome LGBTQ+ people into the church. Campaigners hailed his words as a milestone – the first said by a pope about such laws.

Pope Francis has a long history of mobility issues too. The 88-year-old had two falls recently, bruising his chin in December and injuring his arm last month.

He has long suffered from sciatica, a nerve condition causing back, hip and leg pain. Flare-ups saw him miss New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day services in December 2020 – the first time he missed major religious events for health reasons.

He also has a knee problem but has opted against surgery to avoid the long-term negative side effects of anaesthesia – which affected him after his colon surgery in 2021. Francis has used laser and magnet therapy instead.

The pontiff had to cancel several trips abroad in 2022 due to his walking problems – to Lebanon, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. He rescheduled his journeys to the African countries to 2023.

Francis now uses a wheelchair and cane.

Pope Francis’ hospitalisation on February 14 was the latest in a long history of health issues.

When he was 21, he developed pleurisy – lung inflammation causing sharp chest pain – and had to have part of one of his lungs removed.

He has repeatedly had influenza since the start of 2023, needing a hospital check-up one day in February 2024 and having to cancel appointments on one day in September later that year.

Francis could not attend Cop28 in Dubai in November 2023 because of being ill with influenza and experiencing a lung inflammation flare-up.

He has also had issues with bronchitis before this latest hospitalisation, taken to hospital with breathing difficulties in March 2023 before receiving antibiotics.

Also, in June 2023, he spent nine days in hospital amid surgery to repair an abdominal hernia.

And he had 33cm of his colon removed in a six-hour operation in July 2021 to address a painful bowel condition called diverticulitis – which returned in 2023.

He has also spoken about seeing a psychiatrist in 2021 and how he manages his mental health, including by listening to music by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Pictured, prayers for Francis yesterday in his home city of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Pope Francis is battling pneumonia and ‘mild’ kidney failure – but had a good night of sleep and was resting as of a Vatican update this morning.

Later this morning, Vatican sources said the pope was awake, in good spirits, eating normally and continuing treatment.

The 88-year-old pontiff was admitted to hospital on February 14 with bronchitis and later diagnosed with a respiratory tract infection and pneumonia in both lungs.

His condition had been improving until Saturday when he was given supplemental oxygen and blood transfusions, to address a low platelet count, after a prolonged asthmatic-like attack.

Blood tests on Sunday showed a ‘mild renal insufficiency’, which was ‘currently under control’, the Vatican said yesterday evening.

It added he was receiving ‘high-flow oxygen therapy’ through a nasal cannula but was ‘vigilant and well-orientated’.

On Friday, doctors said he was ‘not yet out of danger’ and would likely remain hospitalised for at least another week.

They said the major risk was sepsis, a serious blood infection which can happen as a complication of pneumonia.

Sergio Alfieri, head of medicine and surgery at the Gemelli hospital where Francis is staying, said on Friday the pontiff was on a ‘significant’ amount of medication and would remain until hospital until he was fully out of danger.

This was because, he said, Francis would just immediately return to work if discharged too soon: ‘We need to focus on getting through this phase… the pope is not a person who gives up.’

He also said the pope was aware he ‘was in danger’ – and asked his medical team to relay that to press.

Pictured, faithfuls pray for the Pope’s health at a Mass celebrated by Archbishop of New York Timothy Dolan at St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.

Pope Francis is awake, in good spirits, eating normally and continuing his treatment plan, according to Vatican sources.

A further official update will be given later.

It follows a short statement from the Vatican earlier this morning, which said, ‘The night went well’, and, ‘The Pope slept and is resting’.

The updates come after another statement on Sunday which said Francis was in critical condition, exhibiting an ‘early, mild’ kidney problem which was ‘under control’. He was still ‘alert and well-oriented’, it said.

It added he took part in mass yesterday morning along with those who have been caring for him.

But the ‘complexity of the clinical situation’ and need to allow ‘time for the pharmacological treatments to show results’ meant that the prognosis would remain ‘guarded’, the spokesperson said.

It said he had not experienced any more asthmatic respiratory crises since his attack on Saturday and his blood platelet count had stabilised, after a period where it was low.

He was still receiving ‘high-flow oxygen therapy through nasal canulas’, it added.

A representative from senior church committee, the College of Cardinals, reads out a Latin announcement called ‘Habemus papam’, meaning, ‘We have a pope’, from the main balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, to a crowd of onlookers below.

The new pope – having chosen a papal name, most one of a saint or predecessor – steps on to the balcony in a white cassock to give his first public address.

Most popes serve until their death. Francis’ predecessor Benedict XVI, though, resigned in 2013, aged 85, for health reasons – and he was the first pope to step down in 600 years.

Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, chose his papal name in honour of St Francis of Assisi, who lived in humble service to the poor. He is the first pope to choose Francis as his papal name.

Pictured, nuns and members of the public praying for Francis outside the Gemelli hospital in Rome:

The cast of Conclave wished the Pope a swift recovery at last night’s Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards.

The film, named for and about the process of electing a new pope, won the award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture yesterday (pictured, below, the cast accepting and holding their award).

Italian actress Isabella Rossellini (pictured, second from right, in first photo below), who plays the cardinals’ caterer and housekeeper Sister Agnes in the film, said during the ceremony: ‘First of all, we would like to wish Pope Francis a quick recovery.’

When interviewed later, she added: ‘Pope Francis, I wish him well.’

Italian actor Sergio Castellitto (pictured, left, in first photo below), who plays Italian traditionalist Cardinal Goffredo Tedesco in Conclave, echoed her sentiments: ‘For us that live in Rome, to live at a few metres, few yards from the Pope, is to have a much closer relationship.

‘We see the helicopter leaving his place, “Oh, is the Pope flying off today and coming back?” So, your relationship as Italians to the Pope is much closer. I repeat, I really wish him well.’

Wednesday, February 19: He is ‘stable’, according to the Vatican: ‘Blood tests… show a slight improvement, particularly in the inflammatory markers.’ Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visits him in hospital: ‘I am very happy to have found him alert and responsive. We joked as always.’

Thursday, February 20: Francis is said to be ‘slightly improving’, the Vatican says, with blood tests indicating a stable condition. His doctors hold their first press conference saying he will not die but is not ‘out of danger’.

Saturday, February 22: The Vatican says, ‘The condition of the Holy Father continues to be critical’ – their first use of the word ‘critical’ in statements to date.

Francis has, it adds, ‘an asthma-like respiratory crisis of prolonged intensity, which required the administration of high-flow oxygen’. He also needed blood transfusions as tests showed his platelet count was low.

The Vatican adds: ‘The Holy Father remains alert and spent the day in an armchair although he is more fatigued than yesterday.’

Sunday, February 23: A one-sentence update from the Vatican reads: ‘The night was tranquil, the Pope rested.’ He was said to be awake and alert, with oxygen available through a tube in his nose but breathing unaided.

Pictured, faithfuls in Guatemala City pray yesterday for Pope Francis’ recovery.

As the Pope faces his most serious health crisis yet, here is a timeline of events that have led to him being in critical condition in hospital:

Wednesday, February 5: Francis says in his regular Wednesday general audience at the Vatican that he is fighting off a ‘strong cold’, requesting an aide to read his speech for him, as he says his illness makes it ‘difficult to speak’.

Thursday, February 6: The Vatican announces Francis has bronchitis and will hold scheduled audiences at his residence in the Vatican rather than at the Apostolic Palace over the next two days. He continues his regular activities.

Friday, February 14: After hoping to overcome his bronchitis without going to hospital and determined to keep holding his audiences as planned, Francis is brought to the Gemelli hospital for tests and treatment. It followed him struggling to speak in several meetings.

Monday, February 17: The Vatican says he has a ‘polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract’, describing this as a ‘complex clinical situation’.

Tuesday, February 18: The Pope’s calendar is cleared by the Vatican until February 23, which then later announces he has developed double pneumonia – across both lungs.

Pictured, below, a projection of Francis with a caption reading in Spanish, ‘Francis, the city prays for you’, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the city of his birth.

Two or three weeks after the funeral of the previous pope, senior church committee, the College of Cardinals, would meet in Rome’s Sistine Chapel to hold a conclave – the secretive process of papal election.

Theoretically, any baptised Roman Catholic man could become pope – but in reality, the candidate has always come from the College of Cardinals.

Most of the 266 pontiffs have been European. Francis, born in Argentina, is the first non-European to take the role in 1,300 years.

There is no campaigning involved when candidates run for election.

On voting day, the Sistine Chapel is closed and the cardinals are locked inside. Only cardinals younger than 80 can vote.

Around 120 of them, having taken an oath of secrecy, will vote in secret for their desired candidate, placing their ballot paper in a chalice on the altar.

If no one gets a two-thirds majority, another round of voting occurs – and there can be up to four rounds a day.

Francis’ election in 2013 (pictured below) took around 24 hours and five ballots, relatively short compared to how long it could take – one 13th-century conclave took around three years and an 18th-century one took four months.

After the votes are counted, they are burned inside the Sistine Chapel in a stove previously installed by Vatican firefighters.

Via a chimney, they burn certain chemicals to send a colour-coded signal to the world about the election result – black smoke means a new pope has not been chosen yet, while white smoke (pictured below) means the new leader has been selected.

Footage has emerged of the Pope’s suite at the Gemelli hospital in Rome where he is being treated for early kidney failure, following bronchitis and pneumonia in both lungs, as the Vatican confirms he is in ‘critical condition’.

After Pope John Paul II stayed at the Gemelli hospital several times, before passing away in 2005, a papal suite was created at the hospital on the top floor.

Nicknamed ‘Vatican III’ by John Paul II, the dedicated room allows the leaders of the Catholic Church to be hospitalised securely and in a peaceful environment.

The suite has a bedroom, bathroom, a chapel, two small lounges, a room for security guards, a meeting room for doctors and a secretaries’ room.

His funeral would most likely be in St Peter’s Square, Vatican City, around four to six days after his death. It would be led by the dean of senior church committee the College of Cardinals.

The pope is then normally buried in the crypt underneath St Peter’s Basilica, named the Vatican Grottoes, along with the nearly 100 other popes laid to rest there.

But Francis announced in 2023 he would be buried in the Santa Maria Maggiore basilica in Rome, one of the city’s four papal basilicas and a personal favourite of Francis who goes there often.

Seven other popes are buried there – but Francis would be the first pope in a century to be buried outside the Vatican.

Popes have previously been buried in three coffins, nested inside each other – one cypress, one zinc and one elm.

Francis, in keeping with his desire to simplify his rites, would be buried in one coffin, made from wood and zinc.

He would also likely be buried with what is known as his ‘rogito’, an 1,000-word document about his life and reign.

Pictured below is the funeral of Francis’ predecessor Benedict XVI, who died in 2022:

Francis’ cousin Carla Rabezzana (pictured below), 93, said yesterday she was very concerned for her relative’s health.

Ms Rabezzana, who still lives in the family’s hometown of Portacomaro, near Turin, said: ‘We are all extremely worried.

‘We hope he will feel better soon and get over this bad moment, I am very agitated.’

She added: ‘We are all praying for him to get out of hospital.’

The pope’s cousin added that the local church had been full of worshippers.

He paid a private visit to relatives in the town three years ago (pictured) and met suppporters in in Asti in the Piedmont region his family’s hometown is in. He presided over a mass at the city’s cathedral and received honorary citizenship of Asti.

The pope’s death would be followed by nine days of mourning, a period known as the Novendiale, which originated in Ancient Rome. Italy would also go into national mourning.

His body would be displayed in St Peter’s Basilica, after it was blessed and dressed in papal vestments, for his supporters to come to pay their respects.

Francis requested, last year, simplified rites – instead of his body being displayed on a raised platform, he would lie in an open coffin.

During this time, daily prayer and Requiem Masses will be held at the Basilica and across the globe.

The Vatican will enter a period named sede vacante, meaning ‘the seat is vacant’. It marks the time when senior church committee, the College of Cardinals, temporarily rules the church. It cannot make major decisions in this time.

In the past, many popes were embalmed and had their organs removed before being buried but these practices have largely been left behind now. A church near the Trevi Fountain in the Italian capital has the hearts of more than 20 popes in marble urns, as holy relics.

Below are pictures of several masses held in Mexico City, Mexico, yesterday, to pray for the health of the Pope:

Anxious supporters of Francis from around the world have been praying for his full recovery over the course of his 11 days in hospital.

He spoke from his hospital bed yesterday to thank his doctors and all the people sending ‘prayers of comfort’ from across the globe.

He said: ‘I am confidently continuing my hospitalisation at the Gemelli Hospital, carrying on with the necessary treatment – and rest is also part of the therapy!’

He added: ‘In recent days I have received many messages of affection and I have been particularly struck by the letters and drawings from children.

‘Thank you for this closeness and for the prayers of comfort I have received from all over the world! I entrust you all to the intercession of Mary and I ask you to pray for me.’

Our reporter has more – and pictures have poured in from across the world of Francis’ supporters making the ‘prayers of comfort’ he so valued. Here are some from outside the Gemelli hospital in Rome:

The first thing to happen when a pope dies is the confirmation of their death. A senior Vatican official called the camerlengo visits the pope’s body in their private chapel and tries to rouse him, confirming the death when the pontiff does not respond.

This symbolic, ceremonial process would, these days, tend to follow a standard medical confirmation of death.

When the pope does not respond to the camerlengo, their signet ring – used as a seal for official documents – is destroyed, marking the end of their papacy. The papal apartments are closed off.

The camerlengo then tells a senior church committee called the College of Cardinals the pope has died – before the Vatican announces it to the world media.

The current camerlengo is Irish Cardinal Kevin Farrell (pictured).

With Francis experiencing the longest hospitalisation of his papacy, the Catholic world is preparing for the worst.

Last year, he approved a more stripped back version of a papal funeral for himself, getting rid of some of the more archaic rituals that traditionally come with such an event.

But still, the series of events that would happen if the Pope were to pass away is one that has been honed over centuries, with some aspects dating back to Ancient Rome.

And at the end, there would be an election to select the new Catholic leader – just like in the Oscar-nominated film Conclave (pictured, Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence) – watching over the spiritual life of a billion people around the world.

We will break the process down into five parts: his death, burial and mourning period, the election that follows and the announcement of a new pope.

The Vatican’s one-line update from this morning, saying that the Pope was resting after a good night’s sleep, did not mention if Francis had woken up.

Late last night, doctors reported that blood tests showed early kidney failure – but it was under control.

He remains in critical condition but has not experienced any further respiratory crises since Saturday when he had a prolonged asthmatic attack.

He was receiving high amounts of oxygen and yesterday, he was alert, responsive and attended Mass.

Doctors have said the pontiff’s condition is touch and go, given his age, fragility and pre-existing chronic lung disease.

They have warned that the main threat he faces is sepsis, a serious infection of the blood that can happen as a complication of pneumonia.

But the Vatican itself has not yet mentioned sepsis in its regular updates on his condition.

Francis spent ten days at the Gemelli hospital in 2021 after he had part of his colon removed.

Francis had a good night last night, according to an update from the Vatican this morning, and is resting after he was ‘well oriented’ on Sunday and attended Mass.

‘The night passed well, the pope slept and is resting’, the statement said.

Our reporter has more in our latest coverage of the Pope’s ongoing health crisis:

Hello and welcome to MailOnline’s live coverage as Pope Francis remains in critical condition and is suffering early kidney failure in hospital, according to the Vatican’s latest announcement.

The 88-year-old pontiff has been receiving treatment for pneumonia and a complex lung infection for 11 days at Rome’s Gemelli hospital since being admitted with breathing difficulties on February 14.

It makes this the longest hospitalisation of his papacy, since he became leader of the worldwide Catholic Church since 2013.

Stick with us as we bring you the latest updates from this breaking news story.