As Pope Francis continued his treatment at Rome’s Gemelli hospital Sunday, he expressed gratitude to medical staff while marking the approaching third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in a prepared Angelus message.

The Vatican reported Friday that he experienced sudden breathing problems that required “non-invasive mechanical ventilation” but that he remained “alert.”

Before he was hospitalized for double pneumonia, Pope Francis was battling firm resistance from some of his own cardinals about how to plug a widening gap in the Vatican's finances. Three days before his hospitalization,

Vice President JD Vance acknowledged Pope Francis’ criticism of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, without responding to any of its specifics or to the pontiff’s apparent criticism of Vance’s own deployment of Catholic tradition to justify such policies.

Vice President JD Vance led the audience at the 20th National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in prayer for the ailing Pope Francis, who has criticized the Trump administration over its immigration policy.

In an off-the-cuff speech Friday morning in Washington, Vice President JD Vance opened up about his faith, providing more details than ever before about his spiritual journey and how his religious beliefs inform his public policy positions.