Crowds are gathering in Vatican City and Rome to pray for the speedy recovery of Pope Francis. The 88-year-old pontiff has shown slight signs of improvement since he was diagnosed with pneumonia last week,

Pope Francis was a frequent visitor to Rome long before he became pope, and over time found his favorite shops and artisans who are now pulling for him as he battles double pneumonia. “The pope is by now a friend,

A group of nuns, priests and students from a Catholic university gathered outside the Gemelli Hospital in Rome on Monday to pray for Pope Francis who is battling pneumonia.

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.

A small group of well-wishers gathered outside the Gemelli Hospital in Rome on Tuesday where Pope Francis was admitted after developing pneumonia in both his lungs.

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 is resting following a coughing fit which saw the head of the Catholic Church inhale vomit that needed to be extracted. The Holy See press office said in a short media statement on Saturday that the pontiff had a peaceful night and was resting.

Doctors decided to keep Pope Francis' prognosis guarded and indicated they needed 24 to 48 hours to evaluate how and if the episode impacted his overall clinical condition. View on euronews