On Ash Wednesday, observant Catholics receive a sign of the cross in ashes on their foreheads, a gesture that underscores human mortality. It is an obligatory day of fasting and abstinence for Catholics that signals the start of Christianity’s most penitent season.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Pope Francis’ condition remained stable on Wednesday (March 5), according to a Vatican statement relaying his doctors’ reports. As Francis is being treated for pneumonia in both lungs at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome, the Vatican prepares to celebrate Lenten events without the pontiff.

While Pope Francis remained hospitalized at Rome's Gemelli Hospital, Italian Cardinal Angelo De Donatis celebrated the Ash Wednesday Mass in his place at the Basilica of Santa Sabina, March 5 in Rome.