A secret meeting, and echoes of Benedict’s exit, have heightened talk that Francis could resign, too. But the possibility is anyone’s guess.

Pope Francis, who has been hospitalized for 12 days, "continues to show signs of improvement, with his kidney issues subsiding," the Vatican said Wednesday.

Catholics in Buenos Aires attended Mass on Sunday to pray for Pope Francis' recovery. (Video by Cristian Kovadloff)

The film by Edward Berger, based on the novel by Robert Harris, follows Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), as he leads a secret conclave to choose the next pope. There are twists and turns and revelations,

Pope Francis was sitting upright and receiving therapy for double pneumonia Wednesday, the Vatican said, as Argentines, Romans and others kept up the steady stream of prayers for his recovery.

While the Vatican has detailed laws and rituals to ensure the transfer of power when a pope dies or resigns, they do not apply if he is sick or even unconscious.

The cast of "Conclave" made sure to send Pope Francis well wishes at the Screen Actors Guild Awards Sunday night.

As Catholics around the world pray for Pope Francis to recover from health ailments that have left the 88-year-old pontiff in critical condition, "Conclave," a fictional thriller about the process of selecting a new pope,

The latest statement suggests that the 88-year-old is able to sit in his chair, eat normally and do what the Vatican calls "light work".

Gandhi’s Scant Garb Bars Audience with Pope.” So read the headline of a New York Times report, from December 13, 1931, that the Vatican had cancelled a meeting between Pius XI and “the Indian nationalist leader” because the Pope thought he might be criticized “if he received the visitor in his usual scanty clothing.