Pope Francis has been at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome for 18 days, having been admitted due to acute bronchitis that developed into bilateral pneumonia. Despite the challenging situation, there is a sense of calm and hope for the pope's recovery at the Vatican,

Just outside the hospital, hundreds of the faithful with their own stories stop to pray every day at the feet of the statue of St. John Paul II at Gemelli Hospital.

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