The Vatican announced early Thursday that Pope Francis “had a good night” and is continuing to rest at Rome’s Gemelli hospital as he enters his third week of treatment for double pneumonia.

The Holy See press office stated in a post on X that “The night passed quietly; the Pope is still resting.” They added that his “clinical condition has remained stable for the last couple of days, and his doctors say he has not had more episodes of respiratory insufficiency.”

The 88-year-old Pope, who has a history of chronic lung disease and had a portion of a lung removed when he was younger, has been in stable condition for two days following a pair of . Doctors emphasized that his prognosis remains guarded due to the complexity of his condition.

To aid his recovery, he has been using a non-invasive mechanical mask during sleep to ensure proper lung expansion. He is now transitioning to receiving oxygen through a nasal tube during the day.

The Vatican reported that on Wednesday, the Pope commenced Lent by receiving ashes on his forehead and by calling the parish priest in Gaza. Physical therapy has also been added to his hospital routine, alongside respiratory therapy.

opened the Lenten season without the Pope’s presence. A cardinal substituted for him, leading a brief penitential procession between two churches on the Aventine Hill and beginning an Ash Wednesday sermon, originally prepared for the pontiff, with expressions of solidarity and gratitude.

On Ash Wednesday, observant Catholics are marked with a cross of ashes on their foreheads, a symbolic gesture acknowledging human mortality. This obligatory day of fasting and abstinence marks the commencement of Christianity’s most penitential period, leading up to Easter on April 20.

The Pope was scheduled to participate in a spiritual retreat this weekend with the rest of the Holy See leadership. The Vatican announced on Tuesday that the retreat would proceed without Francis, but in “spiritual communion” with him. The theme of the retreat, chosen before Francis’ illness, is “Hope in eternal life.”

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