Pope Francis continues to be in serious but stable condition as he concludes his 12th day in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, the Vatican said Feb. 25. The pope was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Friday, Feb. 14, to undergo testing and treatment for bronchitis.

The changes Francis brought to the papacy were more than skin deep. He opened the church to the outside world in ways none of his predecessors had done before.

Thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square on a chilly, rainy evening to pray for an ailing Pope Francis.

What happens when a pope is incapacitated? Is he still pope? Pope Francis' age and prolonged illness have raised questions about whether he might resign, and revived interest about how papal power is exercised.

Gandhi’s Scant Garb Bars Audience with Pope.” So read the headline of a New York Times report, from December 13, 1931, that the Vatican had cancelled a meeting between Pius XI and “the Indian nationalist leader” because the Pope thought he might be criticized “if he received the visitor in his usual scanty clothing.

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.