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,

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.

The Vatican created a mini-residence on site, a top-floor apartment guarded by police. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Built on land donated by Pope Pius XI to the theologian and physician Agostino Gemelli in 1934, it has become known as the "Pope's Hospital." John Paul II even nicknamed it "Vatican Three," with St Peter's Square being Vatican One, and the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo, Vatican Two.

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

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.

The Vatican No. 2, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, is to lead the first prayer on Monday evening. Francis, who has double pneumonia and the early stages of kidney insufficiency, was awake and in good spirits Monday.

Rome's Gemelli hospital, where Pope Francis is being treated for pneumonia, is the favoured choice of pontiffs — to the point of being dubbed "Vatican III" by John Paul II. The 88-year-old Francis is on his fourth stay at the Gemelli since 2021.