VATICAN CITY, March 14, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Pope Francis passed another "quiet
night" in the Rome hospital where he has been battling pneumonia in both
lungs for a month, the Vatican said Friday.

Although he is no longer in critical condition, the 88-year-old pontiff still
receives respiratory assistance through a nasal cannula during the day and an
oxygen mask at night.

The Vatican said Francis had physiotherapy Thursday as well as his continuing
treatment at the Gemelli Hospital.

He also tasted a cake to celebrate his 12 years of papacy, prayed and did his
breathing exercises.

The Vatican press office said it would issue another medical bulletin Friday
evening, but might stop sending a daily morning update.

Talk is now turning to when he might go home. But his hospital stay which
began on February 14 -- the longest and most fraught of his papacy -- has
raised doubts about his ability to lead the world's nearly 1.4 billion
Catholics.

"It takes time for an 88-year-old body affected by bilateral pneumonia to
recover, also in terms of energy, of strength," the press office said.