Pope Francis responds well to his treatment for double pneumonia and has shown a 'gradual, slight improvement' in recent days, the Vatican has said.
But his doctors have decided to keep his prognosis 'guarded', which means that he is not yet in freedom.
The 88-year-old Pope, who has chronic lung disease and had removed some of one lung as a young man, has remained stable for several days without fever and good oxygen in blood.
His doctors said that such stability 'testifies to a good response to therapy'.
It is the first time that the doctors had reported a positive response to the treatment by Francis after he was admitted to the hospital on 14 February.
The Pope worked and rested on Saturday during the day, when he entered his fourth week in the Gemelli hospital of Rome.
His condition is now stabilized after a few attacks of acute respiratory crises last week.
“To record these first improvements in the coming days, his doctors have carefully maintained the prognosis as guarded,” said a Vatican statement.
The pope's health has shown a 'gradual, slight improvement', the Vatican said in a statement
Nuns pray for a statue of John Paul II at the entrance of the Gemelli Hospital where Pope Franciscus is still admitted to the hospital
Francis has used high streams of additional oxygen to help him breathe during the day and at night a non -invasive mechanical ventilation mask.
He was initially admitted to the hospital on Valentine's Day for a bad case of bronchitis.
The infection then progressed in a complex airway infection and double pneumonia that the Pope set aside for the longest period of his 12-year-old papacy.
In his absence, the daily operations of the Vatican were continued, where Cardinal Pietro Parolin celebrates the mass for an anti-abortion group in the Basilica of St. Peter.
Parolin started the service by delivering a message on behalf of the Pope about the need to protect life, from birth to natural death.
In the message, dated on March 5 and addressed to the Movement for Life, who wants to offer alternatives to abortion, Francis encouraged the promotion of anti-abortion activities, not just for the unborn, but “for the elderly, no longer independent or the incapacitable evil.”
Later on Saturday a cardinal closely connected to the papacy of Francis, Michael Czerny, the nightly recitation of prayers for Francis.
Czerny then returns on Sunday to celebrate the Holy Year -Mass for volunteers who should have celebrated Francis.
Pope Francis speaks with the then Prince Charles on the day of the canonization of the 19th-century British Cardinal John Henry Newman on the Vatican October 13, 2019
The then Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall during an audience with Pope Francis in the Vatican in 2017
The latest health update comes as a crucial meeting between King Charles and Pope Francis is in balance while the Pontiff remains in the hospital.
The long -awaited visit, set for April as part of a royal tour to Italy and the Vatican, would be a historic moment for both the king and the Catholic Church.
It would mark the first meeting of Charles with the Pope since he rose on the throne and comes in front of the church during a special anniversary year.
“Every time we call 'stability', it is still within an image of a complex situation and the prognosis remains monitored,” said the Vatican earlier.
The poor health of the Holy Father has expressed concern about the royal meeting, but Buckingham Palace remains hopeful that the journey will continue as planned.
If the meeting with the Pope does not take place, the planned visit of Charles and Camilla to the Sixtine Chapel of the Vatican – famous for the frescoes of Michelangelo and the site where future popes are chosen – is still expected to continue.
Their journey, including a celebration of the 20th wedding anniversary of the Royal Couple on April 9, also includes assignments in Rome and the North -Enthunic city of Ravenna.
The Royal Tour marks a significant effort of King Charles, who continues to balance his royal tasks with the continuous treatment of cancer.
