Pope Francis has spent 18 full days at Rome’s Gemelli hospital recovering from double pneumonia. It’s by far the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy.

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

The Gemelli hospital has been treating popes for more than thirty years.

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

Catholics in Rome gathered to pray outside the hospital where Pope Francis is being treated and remains in a' critical' condition.Joaqu ín Mbana Nchama walks with reverence toward the white marble statue of former Pope John Paul II,

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,