Pope Francis's condition improving slightly while fighting double pneumonia

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Pope Francis, battling double pneumonia in hospital, is in a stable condition and has shown “slight improvement” in results from recent blood tests, the Vatican said.

The 88-year-old pontiff is undergoing treatment at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, where he was admitted on 14 February after struggling with breathing difficulties for several days.

“The clinical conditions of the Holy Father are stable,” said a brief Vatican statement on Wednesday.

“Blood tests … show a slight improvement, particularly in the inflammatory markers.”

Double pneumonia is a serious infection that can inflame and scar both lungs and makes breathing more difficult.

Candles and cards with pictures of Pope Francis, who is battling a health condition.

Candles with the pictures of Pope Francis are the laid under the statue of late Pope John Paul II outside Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome. Source: AAP / Gregorio Borgia/AP

The Vatican had said previously that the pope had a polymicrobial infection, which occurs when two or more micro-organisms are involved, adding that he would stay in hospital as long as necessary to tackle a “complex clinical situation”.

‘Hasn’t lost his sense of humour’

Francis received a visit earlier in the day from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who said he was “alert and responsive,” and had made jokes with her.

“He hasn’t lost his proverbial sense of humour,” said Meloni, the pope’s first known visitor in hospital.

Messages of support for Francis have come in from around the world, the Vatican’s official media outlet reported. Pilgrims at the Vatican on Wednesday for the pope’s cancelled weekly audience expressed hope for his recovery.

“We will pray for him so that he can recover as soon as possible,” said Gianfranco Rizzo, a pilgrim from Bari, Italy.

The pope has been plagued by ill health in recent years, including regular bouts of flu.

All the pope’s public engagements have been cancelled through Sunday and he has no further official events on the Vatican’s published calendar.

Outside the hospital on Wednesday, people were leaving flowers and personal notes under a statue of John Paul II, wishing Francis a speedy recovery.

Work at the Vatican was continuing as the pope was in hospital. One senior official, Cardinal Michael Czerny, left on Wednesday for a five-day visit to Lebanon.

The Vatican’s top diplomat, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, returned to Rome as scheduled on Wednesday from a trip to Burkina Faso.