Pigeons on a statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, in Rome, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025 where Pope Francis has been hospitalized since Friday, Feb. 14.

Faithful make the sign of the cross during a rosary vigil prayer for Pope John Paul II's health in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Friday, April 1,

Photographer's shadows are cast on a marble statue of late Pope John Paul II outside the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome where Pope Francis is being treated for pneumonia, Thursday,

Nuns pray in front of the statue of late Pope John Paul II outside Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Francis continues his treatment for pneumonia, in Rome, Italy. Poplar trees next to Sefton Park Allotments in Liverpool cast long shadows in the evening sun.

Decorated candles and flowers are placed at the base of the statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Francis is admitted for treatment, in Rome, Italy, February 23, 2025.

A statue of late Pope John Paul II stands outside the Gemelli Hospital where Pope Francis is receiving medical treatment Outside the Gemelli Hospital in Rome stands a large statue of one of its most famous patients,

A view shows the statue of late Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli Hospital where Pope Francis is admitted to continue treatment for his ongoing respiratory tract infection, in Rome, Italy, February 19,

The statue of Pope John Paul II is backdropped by the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic where Pope Francis is hospitalised in Rome, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Candles are left at the foot of a marble monument of late Pope John Paul II outside Rome's Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic where Pope Francis is being treated for pneumonia, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. Nuns pray for Pope Francis in front of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic,

ROME and LONDON -- Pope Francis ' clinical condition remains "stable" on Sunday, the Vatican said, as the pontiff continues to be hospitalized for the 17th consecutive day.

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

The Vatican said doctors had to put him on noninvasive mechanical ventilation following a coughing fit in which he inhaled vomit that needed to then be extracted.