Built on land donated by Pope Pius XI to the theologian and physician Agostino Gemelli in 1934, it has become known as the "Pope's Hospital." John Paul II even nicknamed it "Vatican Three," with St Peter's Square being Vatican One, and the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo, Vatican Two.

The Catholic Church is almost 2,000 years old, and over the centuries, the protocol for papal funerals has been codified and refined into a seamless procedure. In the case of the pope’s death, Cardinal Camerlengo Kevin Farrell would be expected to confirm his death with the aid of medical professionals.

The update to Francis’s condition came Sunday in the written text of his regular Angelus prayer after he had been listed as “critical” on Saturday.