The Vatican, though, made alternative plans for Ash Wednesday next week, making clear Francis still had a long road ahead. Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, a Vatican official and former vicar of Rome, will ...

The Vatican says the "criticality" of Pope Francis health condition "has subsided for the moment," but he's still ...

Despite undergoing his longest hospitalization yet due to a complex respiratory infection and double pneumonia with an ...

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

A CT chest scan taken Tuesday evening showed the "normal evolution" of an infection as it is being treated. Blood tests have confirmed an improvement, according to the Vatican's update. The slight ...

For the latest news, view USA TODAY's story on the pope for Wednesday, Feb. 25. Pope Francis remained in ...

Francis, 88, has been in critical condition for several days and he has remained absent from several regular appearances. The ...