Global media outlets, including CNN, CBS and NBC, are getting ready to descend upon Rome and Vatican City following reports that Pope Francis is in critical condition. Logistical aspects such as renting terrace space to get the best camera angles of St.

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

The combination of health issues has kept the Pope from performing his public duties, including weekly prayers on Sundays, but his doctors have recently said he is alert, joking, and continuing to work, as well as reading messages from well-wishers around the world.