Nelson Mandela Died? South African Hero Still In Critical Condition

As Nelson Mandela remained in critical condition Tuesday, Archbishop of Cape Town Thabo Makgoba prayed with the anti-apartheid icon’s family at his bedside in a Pretoria hospital, CNN reported.

"Fill them with your holy courage and the gift of trusting faith, and take away their fears so that they may dare to face their grief," the archbishop said at the hospital, according to his website.

"Guide the medical staff so that they may know how to use their skills wisely and well, in caring for Madiba and keeping him comfortable," Makgoba said, referring to Mandela's traditional tribal name. "And uphold all of us with your steadfast love so that we may be filled with gratitude for all the good that he has done for us and for our nation, and may honor his legacy through our lives."

"The doctors are doing everything possible to ensure his well-being and comfort," President Jacob Zuma told the country Monday.

Mandela, 94, hasn’t appeared in public since South Africa hosted the World Cup in 2010. President Barack Obama was hoping to see South Africa's first black president during his planned visit next week, but the idea was dropped becasue of Mandela’s condition.

"President Obama would have loved to see President Mandela, but he is indisposed," Agence France-Presse quoted Foreign Minister Maite Nkoane Mashebane saying Tuesday. "In my country, when people are ill-disposed, we try to give them time to recover.”