The Pope has been hospitalized at Gemelli Hospital in Rome since February 14, the longest hospital stay during his tenure.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan said in New York on Sunday what church leaders in Rome have not said publicly: that believing Catholics were united "at a dying father's bedside".
Since our holy father Pope Francis is in very, very fragile health, and probably near death, Dolan said in his sermon at St. Patrick's Cathedral.
He later told reporters that he hoped and prayed that Francis would recover again.
Catholics are praying for the Pope in many parts of the world. In Rome, nuns and priests from all over the world gathered on Sunday to pray and sing for him outside the hospital in Rome.
