The health of Pope Francis remains unclear as the faithful have gathered in St. Peter’s Square nightly to pray for his recovery. The 88-year-old pontiff was hospitalized almost two weeks ago, suffering from double pneumonia and mild renal insufficiency.

For centuries, one of the biggest taboos at the Vatican was openly discussing the pope's health. As leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, the pope is a revered spiritual figure. Talking about his earthly health was profane.

On Wednesday, doctors said Francis’ kidney failure “has subsided” and a CT scan of his chest “showed a normal progression of the lung inflammation.” Blood tests also confirmed the pope’s health is improving.