With Pope Francis entering his fourth week in hospital, those working in the Apostolic Palace are grappling with the continuing uncertainty over the pope’s health. The same is true for everyone in the Vatican.

Worshippers continue to pray for Pope Francis outside the Gemelli hospital in Rome, where the 88-year-old head of the Catholic Church has been battling pneumonia since February 14. According to the latest report from the Vatican,

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