Pope Francis continued his hospitalization in Rome as he marked one week at the medical facility on Friday, Vatican officials said.

The pope is in good spirits and is grateful for the prayers for his recovery, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said.

Pope Francis’ overall clinical condition is “improving slightly” and his heart is working well as he battles pneumonia, the Vatican said Thursday, as some of his cardinals cheered him on and insisted that the Catholic Church was very much alive and well even in his absence.

Pope Francis slept well, got out of bed and ate breakfast Wednesday, the Vatican said, after tests confirmed the 88-year-old pontiff had developed pneumonia in both lungs in a further complication that raised concerns about his ability to fight off the infection.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni issued a new update after confirming late Wednesday that new blood tests showed a “slight improvement” in some inflammation indices for the 88-year-old pontiff, who had an acute case of pneumonia in 2023 and is prone to respiratory infections in winter.

The Vatican says that Pope Francis’ clinical condition is “improving slightly,” adding that he went about his work activities from the hospital where he is recovering from pneumonia. In a

Pope Francis has developed bilateral pneumonia, the Vatican said Tuesday, after new tests showed a further complication in the condition of the 88-year-old pope.

Pope Francis has developed bilateral pneumonia, the Vatican said Tuesday, after new tests showed a further complication in the condition of the 88-year-old pope.

Pope Francis spent a peaceful night in hospital and ate breakfast on Thursday, the Vatican said in its latest update on the pontiff's health. (Reporting by Joshua McElwee, writing by Claudia Cristoferi,

Vatican officials said that Pope Francis had developed pneumonia in both lungs, further complicating the pontiff’s recovery