Pope sitting up out of bed in hospital as he recovers from pneumonia

Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on February 14 after a bout of bronchitis worsened (Andrew Medichini/AP)

Pope Francis is continuing his recovery from pneumonia, eating breakfast out of bed after a sixth peaceful night in hospital, the Vatican has said.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni issued a new update after confirming late on 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.