Pope Francis has spent 18 full days at Rome’s Gemelli hospital recovering from double pneumonia. It’s by far the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy.

Nuns pray in front of the statue of late Pope John Paul II outside Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Francis continues his treatment for pneumonia, in Rome, Italy. Poplar trees next to Sefton Park Allotments in Liverpool cast long shadows in the evening sun.

A woman walks past a picture of Pope John Paul II ahead of a prayer for Pope Francis at the Almudena Cathedral in Madrid, Spain, on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025.

Catholics, like Vice President JD Vance, who criticize Pope Francis for being too political, claim they long for the days of Pope John Paul II. But the truth is, they did not listen to John Paul when he challenged their political views.

But it doesn't come close to approaching the record-long stays of St. John Paul II during his quarter-century pontificate. John Paul spent so much time on the 10th floor papal suite that he referred to Gemelli as “Vatican III” — a reference that beyond the primary seat of the papacy in Vatican City,

Decorated candles and flowers are placed at the base of the statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Francis is admitted for treatment, in Rome, Italy, February 23, 2025.

A statue of late Pope John Paul II stands outside the Gemelli Hospital where Pope Francis is receiving medical treatment Outside the Gemelli Hospital in Rome stands a large statue of one of its most famous patients,

Candles are left at the foot of a marble monument of late Pope John Paul II outside Rome's Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic where Pope Francis is being treated for pneumonia, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. Nuns pray for Pope Francis in front of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic,

Pigeons sits on the statue of Pope John Paul II set outside the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic where Pope Francis in Rome, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

The statue of Pope John Paul II is backdropped by the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic where Pope Francis is hospitalised in Rome, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)