The Vatican described his condition as critical for the first time on Saturday, reporting that the 88-year-old Francis needed supplemental oxygen and blood transfusions after a "prolonged asthma-like respiratory crisis.

ROME — Pope Francis remained in critical condition Sunday and blood tests show early kidney failure but he remains alert and “well-oriented,” and attended Mass, the Vatican said, as the 88-year-old pontiff battles pneumonia and a complex lung infection.

The death of a sitting pope initiates a profound period of mourning and transition within the Roman Catholic Church, marked by a meticulously structured process to elect a new pontiff