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. And there are no specific norms outlining what happens to the leadership of the Catholic Church if a pope becomes totally incapacitated.

Cardinals, according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), are bishops and Vatican officials from all over the world who are personally chosen by the pope. They are recognizable by their red vestments and they elect a new pope when the time comes.

Pope Francis, battling double pneumonia, remains in a critical condition and his prognosis is still guarded because of the "complexity" of his clinical condition, the Vatican said on Sunday. The pope was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on February 14 after having trouble breathing for several days and subsequently had pneumonia diagnosed in both lungs.