The Vatican carried on with its Holy Year celebrations without the pope on Saturday, as Pope Francis battled pneumonia and a complex respiratory infection that doctors say remains touch and go and will keep him in hospital for at least another week.

Pope Francis was in critical condition Saturday after he suffered a long asthmatic respiratory crisis that required high flows of oxygen, the Vatican said.

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis remained in critical condition Monday but showed slight improvement in laboratory tests and resumed some work, the Vatican said, including calling a parish in Gaza City that he has kept in touch with since the war there began.