The election of a new pope is a complex process involving hundreds of cardinals that can stretch up to weeks on end. But the general public seems to have found its own way to show support for their pontiffs of choice.

The Vatican says Pope Francis has continued making decisions and is improving, but his two-week hospital stay poses uncomfortable, unanswered questions about Vatican decision-making.

The Vatican reported Friday that he experienced sudden breathing problems that required “non-invasive mechanical ventilation” but that he remained “alert.”

Pope Francis was in critical but stable condition Tuesday as he worked from the hospital while battling double pneumonia, and the Vatican

Pope Francis was well enough Tuesday to meet with his No. 2 to approve new decrees for possible saints, even while still hospitalized in critical but stable condition for double pneumonia and kidney failure.

A bishop removed from his diocese by Pope Francis is "grateful" for everyone who has prayed for the pope amid his ongoing health battle. "We must remember that praying for those in peril is who we are,