Pope Francis is feeling better and can carry out some of his duties, the Vatican said, as the 88-year-old head of the Catholic Church spends his eighth day in hospital recovering from pneumonia.
Pope Francis is being treated at the Gemelli hospital in Rome, where he was admitted on February 14 after struggling to breathe for several days.
Bilateral pneumonia is a serious infection that can cause inflammation and damage to both lungs, making breathing difficult.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a brief statement that the pope had spent the night peacefully and was able to have breakfast this morning.
A Vatican official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the pope’s health, said Pope Francis was breathing on his own, without the help of a ventilator.
The pope is able to move around his hospital room, make phone calls and continue working on some documents, the official added.
Their statements come after the Vatican said Thursday night that the pope’s condition was “improving slightly” for the second day in a row.
