Pope Francis, who has been struggling to overcome double pneumonia for almost three weeks, was taken off mechanical ventilation on Wednesday after using it through the night to help with his breathing,

ROME (TNND) — Vatican officials said Pope Francis is resting on this Ash Wednesday, the start of the solemn Lenten period. The 88-year-old pontiff slept through the night at Rome's Gemelli hospital, according to a statement provided by the Vatican.

Time-honored rituals, drafted and refined over centuries, allow time for mourning and provide order at a dramatic moment of transition.