Outside Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, people have been gathering to pray and show their support for Pope Francis.
The 88-year-old pontiff has been at the hospital since February 14 and is being treated for pneumonia.
This is Francis’ fourth, and now longest, hospital stay since he became pope in 2013. His condition is frequently described by the Vatican as “complex” and the prognosis as “reserved,” meaning that it’s too soon to tell. And while there have been some signs of “slight improvement,” his condition — until Tuesday at least — was still being described as “critical.”
Here are some of the stories that made headlines over the past week, as well as some photos that caught our eye.

Ukrainian service members fire rockets at Russian troops near the Ukrainian town of Chasiv Yar on Sunday, February 23. Monday marked the three-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
Oleg Petrasiuk/Ukrainian Armed Forces/Reuters

Samantha Power, former head of the US Agency for International Development, embraces laid-off employees and their supporters outside the agency's headquarters in Washington, DC, on Thursday, February 27. The Trump administration has made rapid moves to dismantle the agency, which provides humanitarian assistance around the world.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

People perform Jhumur, an Indian folk dance, as they take part in a dress rehearsal Sunday, February 23, for the Jhumur festival in Guwahati, India.
Biju Boro/AFP/Getty Images

Local residents line up to collect water in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo, on Friday, February 21. Since January, some 7,000 people have died in fighting in the eastern part of the country, Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka told the Human Rights Council on Monday.
Luis Tato/AFP/Getty Images

Actor Harrison Ford arrives on the red carpet for the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, February 23.
Caroline Brehman/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump shake hands in the White House Oval Office on Tuesday, February 25. Macron tried to inject a dose of reality into Trump’s ambitions to end the war in Ukraine, insisting they sought the same outcome of peace while simultaneously warning of Russia’s poor track record in keeping its international commitments.
Doug Mills/The New York Times/Redux

People walk on top of the Hole in the Rock formation as the sun sets at Papago Park in Phoenix on Tuesday, February 25.
Lindsey Wasson/AP

Captain Sidney Crosby lifts the trophy after Canada defeated the United States in the final of the 4 Nations Face-Off on Thursday, February 20. Canada won 3-2 in overtime.
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

A model takes part in a Richard Quinn fashion show during London Fashion Week on Friday, February 21.
Benjamin Cremel/AFP/Getty Images

Venezuelan migrants Ysarlyn Molina and Lisbianny Amaya rest as they wait for a boat to take them to the Colombian border in Gardi Sugdub, Panama, on Sunday, February 23. They were hoping to reach the United States but decided to return to their country due to the Trump administration’s new immigration policies.
Enea Lebrun/Reuters

US Sens. Mitch McConnell, left, and Jim Justice high-five each other near an elevator at the US Capitol on Thursday, February 20. McConnell, the former Senate Republican leader, announced that day that he would not be running for reelection in 2026.
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images

Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old accused of killing UnitedHealthcare’s CEO last year, appears for a largely procedural court hearing in New York on Friday, February 21. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state charges but has yet to enter a plea on federal murder charges related to the killing of Brian Thompson.
Curtis Means/Reuters

Migrants bound for the Colombian border board a boat at the Caribbean coastal village of Miramar, Panama, on Thursday, February 27. A growing number of Latin American migrants who have given up hope of reaching the United States are returning to their home countries in South America through a sea route in Panama, which poses new risks, according to authorities.
Matias Delacroix/AP

A Bedouin in Ismailia, Egypt, prepares his camel Wednesday, February 26, for an upcoming Camel Racing Festival.
Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters

Elon Musk holds a chainsaw gifted to him by Argentine President Javier Milei, right, during the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, on Thursday, February 20. Musk used the prop to tout his efforts to shrink the federal workforce in the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency.
Eric Lee/The New York Times/Redux

Snowboarder Zeb Powell competes during the Red Bull Heavy Metal contest in Boston on Saturday, February 22.
Colin Kerrigan/Red Bull

House Speaker Mike Johnson departs after speaking to reporters at the US Capitol on Tuesday, February 25. Johnson and his leadership team capped hours of drama in the Capitol by successfully flipping multiple Republican holdouts to pass a budget blueprint that will mark the first step toward moving President Trump’s ambitious agenda forward.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

A man uses a stick to sift through smoldering remains after widespread vandalism and looting at the World Food Programme warehouse in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo, on Friday, February 21.
Luis Tato/AFP/Getty Images

The statue of John Paul II is reflected in the sunglasses of a woman who was praying outside the Gemelli Hospital in Rome on Thursday, February 27. Pope Francis is being treated at the hospital.
Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images

This aerial photo, taken on Friday, February 21, shows a beach in Mar del Plata, Argentina, that has turned an unusual reddish color because of a large amount of red algae.
Diego Izquierdo/AFP/Getty Images

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer works in his office as the Senate conducts a "vote-a-rama" in Washington, DC, on Thursday, February 20. During the late-night session, Democrats attempted to force tough votes for Republicans over a slate of contentious issues, including the war in Ukraine, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, and protecting Medicare and Medicaid from cuts as Republicans seek to enact President Trump’s legislative priorities.
Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times/Redux

Tal Shoham waves from a helicopter in Reim, Israel, after he was released by Hamas on Saturday, February 22. Shoham was kidnapped from kibbutz Be’eri during the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023. Hamas released six Israeli hostages from Gaza on Saturday in two public ceremonies and one private transfer, the final return of live hostages in this first phase of a ceasefire deal that began last month.
Amir Cohen/Reuters

Writer, comedian, cabaret performer and drag icon Verushka Darling poses near Qtopia Sydney on Wednesday, February 26. The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is taking place through March 2.
Don Arnold/WireImage/Getty Images

Makeup artists work backstage before a fashion show in Madrid on Friday, February 21.
Bernat Armangue/AP

US skier Jared Goldberg competes in a World Cup downhill event in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on Saturday, February 22.
Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

A replica of Michelangelo’s “David” sculpture is moved into the National Gallery of Denmark in Copenhagen on Tuesday, February 25.
Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/Getty Images

Police officers remove protesters blocking the route of a far-right demonstration in Berlin on Saturday, February 22, a day before the German election.
Ebrahim Noroozi/AP

A hummingbird drinks from a flower in an outfield-lawn garden before a spring training baseball game in Surprise, Arizona, on Monday, February 24.
Lindsey Wasson/AP

Academy Awards host Conan O'Brien lies over the red carpet Wednesday, February 26, during its rollout for Sunday’s show in Los Angeles. See the full list of nominees.
Carlos Barria/Reuters

Visitors stand near a makeshift memorial for Ukrainian and foreign fighters at Independence Square in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sunday, February 23.
Roman Pilipey/AFP/Getty Images

Christian Democratic Union party leader Friedrich Merz, second from right, celebrates with Christian Social Union leader Markus Söder in Berlin after exit poll results were announced in Germany’s election on Sunday, February 23. Merz is likely to become Germany’s next chancellor after his center-right party and its sister party won 28.6% of the vote, according to preliminary official results.
Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters

The Philadelphia 76ers' Ricky Council IV is defended by the Chicago Bulls' Matas Buzelis during an NBA game in Philadelphia on Monday, February 24.
Matt Slocum/AP

A rally takes place at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta on Friday, February 21, to protest recent cuts made to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The first month of the Trump administration has brought chaos to federal health agencies through mass firings, funding interruptions and communications freezes.
Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/AP

Leah Fauth gets a hug after leaving flowers in front of the West York Police Department in York, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, February 22. Police officer Andrew Duarte was killed and five other people were wounded when a man took medical staff hostage and opened fire at a York hospital on Saturday morning, officials said. The gunman was also killed, authorities said.
Matt Rourke/AP

A cargo ship transits through Panama Canal Cocoli locks in Panama City on Friday, February 21.
Martin Bernetti/AFP/Getty Images

People visit the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in Taguig, Philippines, on Saturday, February 22. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Manila. See last week in 31 photos.
Ezra Acayan/Getty Images



