Cairo: Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayyeb, grand imam of Al-Azhar, the world’s leading Sunni Islamic institution, expressed Sunday his heartfelt wishes for Pope Francis of a swift recovery, as the pope is still in critical condition following a severe asthma attack.

According to State Information Service Egypt, Sheikh El-Tayyeb conveyed his prayers on his official Facebook page, asking for divine intervention for Pope Francis’s health. The grand imam emphasized the importance of Pope Francis’s contributions to humanity and wished him good health and well-being.

On Saturday, the Vatican announced that the 88-year-old pope is in critical condition after a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis that necessitated the use of high oxygen flows. The Vatican, the spiritual and administrative center of the Roman Catholic Church, reported that the pope has been hospitalized for a week due to a severe lung infection.

Despite the pope’s absence, the Vatican continued its Holy Year celebrations on Saturday.