Pope Francis' health raises concerns among DFW Catholics

DALLAS - Pope Francis remains in the hospital in critical condition.

The 88-year-old has been battling pneumonia and a complex lung infection. On Sunday, the Vatican said blood tests reveal the Pope is showing signs of kidney failure.

The pontiff was able to attend mass this morning at the hospital.

Dallas-Fort Worth Catholic community shows concern for Pope Francis

Local perspective:

While Pope Francis is thousands of miles away, his well-being is at the top of people's minds in Dallas' Catholic community.

During a Sunday mass, parishioners were asked to take time to pray for the pope, his health and his recovery.

The Catholic Diocese of Dallas has a special prayer on their website for Pope Francis.

Parishioners asked for everyone, no matter their faith, to pray for the pope.

What they're saying:

"As we have learned of Pope Francis’ suffering because of the grave setbacks in his medical condition, I ask Catholics and all men and women of good will to join me in praying for his recovery, the alleviation of his suffering, and, in accord with God’s will, a blissful death. Please join me in commending him to the care and intercession of Our Lady of Hope and of Saint Joseph," Bishop Michael Olson, Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth.

"Please pray for our Pope. He’s very important and we should love all people, even if you don’t agree with them. Please, again if we could pray for him, he’s still a human being, a child of God, so please everyone pray for our Pope," said churchgoer Dawson Allain.

"I don’t want to ever see anybody struggling or physically in pain or in a lack of health, just praying that his body and his mind will be uplifted," said Neak Horriat, who attended mass at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Dallas.

Pope Francis

The backstory:

Pope Francis, who has chronic lung disease, was admitted to Gemelli hospital on Feb. 14 after a weeklong bout of bronchitis worsened.

RELATED: Pope Francis to remain hospitalized for respiratory tract infection

Doctors first diagnosed the complex viral, bacterial and fungal respiratory tract infection and then the onset of pneumonia in both lungs. They prescribed "absolute rest" and a combination of cortisone and antibiotics, along with supplemental oxygen when he needs it.

Some blood tests showed "initial, mild, kidney failure," but doctors said it was under control, The Vatican said, and that Francis remained alert and "well-oriented." He attended Mass earlier in the day. 

Doctors have warned that the main threat facing Francis would be the onset of sepsis, a serious infection of the blood that can occur as a complication of pneumonia. As of Friday, there was no evidence of any sepsis, and Francis was responding to the various drugs he is taking.

"He is not out of danger," said his personal physician, Dr. Luigi Carbone. "So like all fragile patients I say they are always on the golden scale: In other words, it takes very little to become unbalanced."

Carbone, who along with Francis' personal nurse Massimiliano Strappetti organized care for him at the Vatican, acknowledged he had insisted on staying at the Vatican to work, even after he was sick, "because of institutional and private commitments." He was cared for by a cardiologist and infectious specialist in addition to his personal medical team before being hospitalized.