THE Pope wrote his resignation letter 12 years ago in case he became too ill to fulfil the holy role as he remains in a ‘critical’ state in hospital. The Pontiff has spent 10 nights in

The Pope was admitted to Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14 after struggling for several days with bronchitis. Over the weekend the Vatican said the Holy Father had suffered a respiratory crisis and required a blood transfusion, with the Holy See on Sunday evening stating that Francis’ condition was “critical.”

The Vatican press office said Cardinal Parolin will lead a rosary for the pontiff in St. Peter's Square at 9 p.m. local time. The U.S. bishops urged Catholics to join that prayer at the same time, 3 p.m. on the East Coast.

Following the death of a pope, or in rare cases of resignation such as with Pope Benedict XVI, the Vatican convenes a papal conclave, in which the College of Cardinals come together to elect the Church’s next head.

You can get in touch with Jesus by emailing [email protected] The chaplain of the Agostino Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Francis remains hospitalized, has called for faith and prayer, urging Catholics to embrace "hope against all hope" as concerns over the pontiff's health persist.

The Vatican has detailed laws and rituals to ensure the transfer of power when a pope dies or resigns, but not when he is sick

Reports of Pope Francis' critical health condition have put global media outlets including CNN, CBS and NBC, in high gear to descend upon Rome.