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

Pope Francis suffered two episodes of acute respiratory failure Monday, the Vatican said, a fresh setback in the worst health crisis of his papacy.

Pope Francis, 88, has been in a critical condition due to a lung infection. His two weeks in Rome's Gemelli hospital is the longest stay of his papacy and underscores his frailty. Francis has made more than 45 international trips during his papacy,

Pope Francis, in hospital fighting double pneumonia, rested well overnight, the Vatican said on Monday. The Vatican said on Sunday evening that the 88-year-old pontiff's condition was stable, and he no longer required the use of mechanical ventilation to breathe.