Pope marks month in hospital as footballers send messages

On Friday he joined prayer and meditation services at the Vatican via video link, without being seen – as in previous days – and did some physiotherapy.

The Vatican’s diplomatic corps took part in a mass for Francis led by Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy published a message on X saying he had spoken to Parolin and “wished Pope Francis a speedy recovery”.

Francis marked 12 years of his papacy on Thursday, celebrating with a small piece of cake, according to the press office.

Talk is now turning to when he might go home.

But Francis’s hospital stay, the longest and most difficult 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.