Pope Francis has shown a "further, slight improvement" in his medical condition, the Vatican said on Wednesday, in a sign of progress as the 88-year-old pontiff battles double pneumonia. The pope is spending his 13th night at Rome's Gemelli hospital,

Concerns over Pope Francis' health have mounted in recent years as have questions about his succession. Here's what we know.

Time-honored rituals, drafted and refined over centuries, allow time for mourning and provide order at a dramatic moment of transition.