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. Reina was also celebrating the lunchtime Mass on Wednesday at Gemelli to pray for Francis.

Pope Francis continues to show signs of improvement as he battles a severe lung infection, but his prognosis remains uncertain. Doctors report stabilisation, though he is still under close observation.