The expatriate community is small but shares a special bond with Francis, who has been in the hospital since Feb. 14.

A group of Argentinian nationals, accompanied by their ambassador, prayed for the health of Pope Francis under the windows of his suite at the Gemelli hospital in Rome on Tuesday.

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,

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

Pope Francis is alert after suffering two episodes of "acute respiratory failure" on Monday afternoon, the Vatican has said. Doctors were forced to intervene to clear mucus from the Pope's lungs, an update from the Holy See said,

Pope Francis suffered two new episodes of acute respiratory crises Monday and was put back on noninvasive mechanical ventilation