ASSISI, Italy — As Pope Francis entered his third week in a hospital battling pneumonia, hundreds of pilgrims continued to make their way to this hilltop town to pray at the tomb of St. Francis, the hometown medieval saint whom the pontiff chose as his papal name.

As Pope Francis remains hospitalized in Rome, thousands of faithful from around the world have been gathering by St.

As Pope Francis continues his recovery from illness, Catholics around the Ohio Valley, including at Franciscan University, are expressing their love and gratitu

As of this writing, the world is keeping vigil and offering prayers for the pope during his pulmonary issues, and so many have turned to Saint Bernardino of Siena for support in these worrisome times. That is because this underappreciated and austere 15th century saint is considered the patron saint of those with chest or lung issues.

The pope has been hospitalized for over a week at Rome's Gemelli Hospital in critical condition for a respiratory infection.

Pope Francis has been dubbed over the years the “woke pope”, drawing global attention for his progressive views on many controversial issues including LGBTQI rights to priest celibacy while demanding urgent action to be taken on climate change.

Pope Francis is arguably one of the most progressive popes to lead the Catholic Church. His position on LGBTQ+ people shook up centuries of negative views of the community. Admittedly, he still makes missteps when discussing certain topics.

As Pope Francis entered his third week in a hospital battling pneumonia, hundreds of pilgrims continued to make their way to this hilltop town to pray at the tomb of St. Francis, the hometown medieval saint whom the pontiff chose as his papal name.