Four weeks after Pope Francis was hospitalized and one day after the 12th anniversary of the pope’s election, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, celebrated a Mass for the pope with ambassadors accredited to the Holy See.

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 continues to be stable and a chest X-ray “confirmed the improvements recorded in the previous days,” his doctors said, but without saying his double pneumonia had cleared up completely.

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.

As Pope Francis prepared to spend the 12th anniversary of his election at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, people at the Vatican and around the world were responding to his most frequent personal request.

Pope Francis is no longer considered in imminent danger from his lung infection, but he will remain in Rome’s Gemelli hospital for several more days to continue receiving medical treatment, the Vatican said.

With Pope Francis watching from the hospital, the preacher of the papal household told top members of the Roman Curia that eternity “is not just a future reward but a reality that begins here, in the measure in which we learn to live in love and communion with Christ.”

As Pope Francis’ condition remains stable, which is a sign of continued improvement, he followed the start of the Lenten retreat for the Roman Curia by video linkup and met again with two top Vatican officials to stay abreast of current events, the Vatican press office said.