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

Francis had inhaled “copious” amounts of mucus in another setback in what has become a more than two-week battle to overcome a complex respiratory infection and pneumonia.

The 88-year-old pontiff has been hospitalized since Feb. 14 after a bout of bronchitis worsened and turned into a complex pneumonia in both lungs.

Pope Francis has been placed back on mechanical ventilation following medical episodes after 17 days in the hospital. The Vatican announced in

Pope Francis suffered two new acute respiratory crises Monday and was put back on noninvasive mechanical ventilation, in another setback to his battle to fight pneumonia, the Vatican said. Doctors extracted “copious” amounts of mucus from his lungs during two bronchoscopies,

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The Vatican said the mucus was the body’s reaction to the original pneumonia infection and not a new infection, given laboratory tests don’t indicate any new bacteria. Francis remained alert, oriented and cooperated with medical personnel.

Pope Francis was up and receiving therapy on Monday after going off mechanical ventilation and showing no sign of new infection following a respiratory crisis late last week, the Vatican said. Heidi Schlumpf,

Pope Francis' condition remains stable on March 4, with no episodes of respiratory failure or bronchospasm, according to Vatican News. The Vatican press office stated that the Pope did not experience any respiratory distress or bronchospasms today.