Pope Francis has suffered a serious setback in his two-week battle with double pneumonia. Newsweek's live blog is closed.
As Pope Francis has battled double pneumonia in hospital for nearly three weeks, talk of the 88-year-old pontiff's death or resignation has become almost commonplace. A few senior Catholic cardinals are talking openly about the possibility that Francis could follow his predecessor Benedict XVI and resign.
There has long been a Vatican taboo against openly talking about a conclave when a pope is sick: It’s considered gauche to speculate about the election of a new pope while the current one is fighting for his life.
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis was up and receiving therapy on Monday after apparently overcoming a setback in his recovery from pneumonia. The Vatican said he is stable, off mechanical ventilation and is showing no sign of new infection following a respiratory crisis late last week.