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Roman Catholics worldwide prayed for Pope Francis, who is hospitalized in critical condition<\/a>, at Mass on Sunday after the Vatican announced that he was \u201cnot out of danger.\u201d<\/p>\n The 88-year-old pontiff went into the hospital on Feb. 14 with an infection that developed into pneumonia in both lungs. He had a long \u201casthmatic respiratory crisis\u201d on Saturday that required \u201chigh flows of oxygen\u201d and a blood transfusion, the Vatican said.<\/p>\n Francis has been the spiritual leader of almost 1.4 billion Roman Catholics around the world since 2013. And around the world, there have been prayers for his recovery.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n At the Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul, Pat Santos, a tourist from the Philippines, described the pope as \u201cthe symbol of Christianity.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cPneumonia is a serious illness for his age, that\u2019s why we should be worried,\u201d said Mr. Santos, 31, who was visiting South Korea with his family. \u201cMay he recover very well so that he can enjoy his retirement.\u201d<\/p>\n Francis has suffered damage to his lungs in the past, and in recent days a few cardinals have openly spoken about the possibility of him resigning, as his predecessor, Benedict XVI, did in 2013.<\/p>\n Doctors had said on Friday that Francis would remain in the Policlinico Agostino Gemelli, a hospital in Rome, for at least another week. They had said he was in critical condition on Friday too, but the announcement on Saturday indicated a more complicated situation.<\/p>\n There were prayers for the pope during Sunday services in Nairobi, Kenya, as well as in Sydney and Melbourne in Australia, and in the Philippines, where almost 80 percent<\/a> of the population is Roman Catholic.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cOnce more, we continue to keep in our prayers Pope Francis. May the Lord continue to extend to him his love, his mercy and his healing,\u201d Father Vicente Gabriel Bautista said<\/a> during Sunday Mass at the Manila Cathedral, which also held a special prayer vigil for Francis on Friday.<\/p>\n Aurora Agustin, a candle vendor, said she had been sitting outside the Quiapo Church in Manila and praying since Friday.<\/p>\n \u201cI pray for his speedy recovery because he is our leader and is very well loved,\u201d said Ms. Agustin, 54.<\/p>\n Neneth Felix, a church volunteer in Paranaque, south of Manila, said she was praying for Francis to have a longer life.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWhen I pray for my family at night, I include Pope Francis in my prayers,\u201d said Ms. Felix, 62. \u201cI am touched by his humility \u2014 everything about him reflects it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Aie Balagtas See contributed reporting from Manila.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n