For the first time since Pope Francis was hospitalized in mid-February, the Vatican press office released a photograph of him March 16; the image shows him concelebrating Mass that morning in the chapel of his suite of rooms at Rome's Gemelli hospital.

Pope Francis’s condition continued to improve Wednesday and he no longer needs to use noninvasive mechanical ventilation to help him breathe at night, the Vatican said. The 88-year-old pontiff is also reducing his reliance on high-flow supplemental oxygen during the day, the Vatican said in a medical bulletin.

A person holds a picture of Pope Francis near the statue of late Pope John Paul II outside Gemelli Hospital where Pope Francis is admitted to continue treatment, in Rome, Italy, March 9, 2025. REUTERS/Vincenzo Livieri/File Photo VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis is no longer using mechanical ventilation for help breathing at night,