From Vatican City to the Queen City, prayers are being said for the recovery of Pope Francis, who is currently in critical but stable condition after being diagnosed with double pneumonia.
Time-honored rituals, drafted and refined over centuries, allow time for mourning and provide order at a dramatic moment of transition.
The Vatican described his condition as critical for the first time on Saturday, reporting that the 88-year-old Francis needed supplemental oxygen and blood transfusions after a "prolonged asthma-like respiratory crisis.