Candles are left at the foot of a marble monument of late Pope John Paul II outside Rome's Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic where Pope Francis is being treated for pneumonia, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. Nuns pray for Pope Francis in front of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic,

Photographer's shadows are cast on a marble statue of late Pope John Paul II outside the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome where Pope Francis is being treated for pneumonia, Thursday,

With Pope Francis remaining in critical condition fighting a complex respiratory infection and bilateral pneumonia, the cardinals and curial officials in Rome have organized a rosary and special Mass for the pontiff.

“Pope Francis is touched by the numerous messages of affection and closeness that he continues to receive in these hours,” the Vatican statement said. The pope expressed particular gratitude for the well wishes he received from his fellow patients in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital and asked for continued prayers.

Doctors have said the 88-year-old pontiff’s condition is touch and go, given his age, fragility and pre-existing lung disease.

Pope Francis’ medical team says the pontiff's condition isn’t life-threatening. But they said Friday that Francis isn't out of danger.

Pope Francis remains under treatment for a “polymicrobial” respiratory infection at Gemelli Hospital in Rome. Nicknamed “Vatican III” by John Paul II, this medical complex has been welcoming ailing popes since the 20th century in what resembles a “small city.

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.