Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, during a Rosary prayer service held for the health of Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025.

The U.S. bishops urged the faithful to join in on a call from Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin to pray the rosary for Pope Francis Feb. 24 as he remains hospitalized.

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis remained in critical condition Monday but showed slight improvement in laboratory tests and resumed some work, the Vatican said, including calling a parish in Gaza City that he has kept in touch with since the war there began.

Daily evening prayers will be held for Pope Francis at the Vatican's St. Peter's Square as he remains hospitalized in Rome, Italy, for a complex lung infection.

You can get in touch with Jesus by emailing [email protected] The chaplain of the Agostino Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Francis remains hospitalized, has called for faith and prayer, urging Catholics to embrace "hope against all hope" as concerns over the pontiff's health persist.

Pope Francis has been at the Gemelli Clinic in Rome for a few days, steadily battling bilateral pneumonia. The media quickly began speculating about the potential successor to the Pope from Argentina.

The Vatican announced Monday that cardinals will lead a nightly rosary in St. Peter’s Square for Pope Francis’s recovery, with the first prayer service scheduled for 9 p.m. Rome time on Monday evening.

The wet black cobblestones shone from the bright lights illuminating the fountains and the front of the square where Pope Francis normally sits for his Wednesday general audiences. An image of Mater Ecclesiae – Mary, Mother of the Church – adorned with greenery and white and pink flowers took center stage.

Pope Francis remains critically ill with double pneumonia at Rome's Gemelli Hospital, where he has been for 11 days. His condition has slightly improved, and he is still receiving oxygen. The Vatican is optimistic despite his ongoing health challenges.