Crowds are gathering in Vatican City and Rome to pray for the speedy recovery of Pope Francis. The 88-year-old pontiff has shown slight signs of improvement since he was diagnosed with pneumonia last week,

The Vatican’s early Friday update also suggested a level of normalcy and routine as the 88-year-old pope continues recovering at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.

Mark at Hospital With Pneumonia and Doctors Suggest He's Overcome the Worst ROME (AP) — Pope Francis reached the two-week mark recovery from pneumonia Friday as doctors suggested he had overcome the most critical phase of the infection while holding out on declaring him out of danger entirely.

"The blood tests, evaluated by the medical staff, show a slight improvement, particularly in inflammatory indices," said the Vatican in a statement later on Wednesday. Earlier in the week, the Vatican said medical tests and a chest X-ray showed "a complex picture".

Italy's Prime Minister Georgia Meloni has visited the Pope in hospital, where he has been diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs. The 88-year-old was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on Friday with a respiratory infection.

Pope Francis suffered an isolated coughing fit on Friday that resulted in him inhaling vomit and requiring non-invasive mechanical ventilation, the Vatican said in relaying an alarming setback in his two-week long battle against double pneumonia.

The Vatican, though, made alternative plans for Ash Wednesday next week, making clear Francis still had a long road ahead. Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, a Vatican official and former vicar of Rome, will preside over the March 5 ceremony and procession that inaugurates the church’s solemn Lenten season leading up to Easter in April.

The Vatican is making alternative plans for Ash Wednesday next week as Pope Francis recovers from pneumonia. ROME — Pope Francis reached the two-week mark in his recovery from pneumonia Friday as doctors suggested he had overcome the most critical phase of the infection but held out on declaring him out of danger entirely.

Pope Francis has been in hospital for 11 days, with recent blood tests show early, mild kidney failure after he experienced a respiratory crisis. The 88-year-old pontiff is suffering from pneumonia in both his lungs.

ROME — Pope Francis remained in stable condition Saturday a day after a respiratory crisis, and spent long periods of the day off the noninvasive ventilation he initially needed in a sign that his lung function was improving as he battles double pneumonia.