As Pope Francis, 88, recovers from pneumonia, attention turns to potential successors, with any baptised Catholic man eligible to become the next pontiff.
Ireland has deep roots in Catholicism, so it's no surprise many here are paying close attention to Pope Francis' health.
His ties to Ireland go back even further - Pope Francis spent time studying in Dublin in 1980 at the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice. He was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on February 14 after a bout of bronchitis worsened. Doctors diagnosed pneumonia in both lungs on Tuesday, on top of a polymicrobial infection in his respiratory tract.
The pontiff's condition has highlighted the men who are likely to succeed him. While any baptised Roman Catholic man is technically eligible for election, for more than 600 years every Pope has been selected from among the College of Cardinals.
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