The Vatican carried on with its Holy Year celebrations without the pope Saturday, as Pope Francis battled pneumonia and a complex respiratory infection that doctors say remains touch-and-go and will keep him hospitalized for at least another week.

The pontiff suffered a "prolonged asthma-like respiratory crisis" and required blood transfusions. The Vatican's statement revealed that the Pope remains alert, having spent the day in a chair, although his condition is worse than it was the previous day.