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 preside over the March 5 ceremony and procession that inaugurates the church's solemn Lenten season leading up to Easter in April.

Pope Francis’s battle with double pneumonia is the most serious health complication the pontiff has suffered from since taking the Chair of St. Peter in 2013.

Despite his ongoing stay at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital and his precarious health status, Pope Francis has established a commission aimed at boosting donations in the Catholic Church as it faces a crippling deficit.

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

The 88-year-old Francis has pneumonia in both lungs and remains in critical condition despite showing a slight improvement after 11 days in the hospital.

Another woman is stepping into a high-ranking role in the Vatican: Sister Raffaella Petrini, an Italian nun, was appointed president of the Vatican City State on Saturday. This essentially makes her the governor of the 44-hectare (108-acre) territory in Rome that serves as the heart of the Catholic Church.

ROME — Another woman is taking over a top management job in the Vatican : Sister Raffaella Petrini, an Italian nun, was named Saturday as president of the Vatican City State, making her essentially the governor of the 44-hectare (108-acre) territory in Rome that is home to the Catholic Church.