Pope Francis remains in a critical condition and is resting, as Argentines and Romans alike gathered in the Eternal City to pray for his recovery from double pneumonia.
The dean of the College of Cardinals, meanwhile, was designated to lead the Vatican's prayer vigil in St Peter's Square on Wednesday night, thrusting a key figure in a future possible conclave into the spotlight.
“The Pope had a peaceful night and is resting,” the Vatican’s short morning update on Wednesday said.
On Tuesday night, the faithful from Francis' homeland gathered in the Argentine church of Rome for a special Mass presided over by Cardinal Baldassarre Reina, the Pope’s vicar for Rome.
The rector of the church, the Reverend Fernando Laguna, said he hoped the Pope could feel the embrace of the community's prayer from the Gemelli hospital where he is recovering.
“I can’t go to Gemelli, because for him to recover he must be isolated,” he said.
"I know that I hug him and that he hugs me when I pray. And now I would like to embrace the Pope.”
Sister Nilda Trejo said she knew Francis' health had always been delicate, with problems breathing and speaking loudly, and that was why she always prayed for him.
“We knew that he often found it difficult,” she said.
"In fact, you see that at the beginning of mass, the microphone always has to be turned up because he has a bit of trouble. But he always spoke to the people. To the heart of the people.”
Across town, Romans and others gathered in St Peter's Square for the nightly rosary prayer, presided over by Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, who runs the Vatican's office responsible for the church in the developing world.
The Vatican said that the Wednesday evening vigil in St Peter's would be presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, 91, the influential dean of the College of Cardinals.
Francis recently extended Re's term as dean, keeping him in the important job rather than naming someone new.
As is now popularly known thanks to the Oscar-nominated film Conclave, the dean is a key point of reference for cardinals.
He presides over a papal funeral and organises the conclave to elect a new pope.
Doctors said Francis was in critical but stable condition and had not suffered any new respiratory crises.
He underwent a follow-up CT scan on Tuesday evening to check the lung infection, but no results were provided.
Doctors said his prognosis remained guarded.
Francis continued to work from the hospital, and on Tuesday announced some major governing decisions that suggest he is getting essential work done and looking ahead.
Double pneumonia is a serious infection of both lungs that can inflame and scar them, making it difficult to breathe.
The Vatican has said the Pope's infection is "complex", and caused by two or more micro-organisms.
Francis, who has been Pope since 2013, has suffered several bouts of ill health in the past two years.
He is prone to lung infections because he developed pleurisy as a young adult and had part of one lung removed.
with Reuters
