Vatican

After more than a month in the hospital, Pope Francis’ condition continues to be stable, the Vatican said March 15, and he gradually is “reducing the need for noninvasive mechanical ventilation at night.”

Pope Francis spent the 12th anniversary of his election to the papacy undergoing physiotherapy at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, but he was well enough to celebrate it in little ways.

As Pope Francis celebrates 12th anniversary of his election in the hospital, the papal biographer told OSV News that the pontiff has “given a very significant witness these last few years … which in many ways is comparable to the witness that John Paul II gave … demonstrating or communicating that the papacy is for life, that it’s a mission, not a job.”

Pope Francis’ condition continued to be stable with further slight improvements March 11, the Vatican press office said.

Death, even that of a pope, should not be seen as a tragedy but as a transition filled with Christian hope, the preacher of the papal household told members of the Roman Curia.