Pope Francis entered the hospital for treatment of bronchitis on Feb. 14. Almost two weeks later, doctors say the pope — who contracted a case of double pneumonia while at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital and experienced a “respiratory crisis” on Saturday — will remain in the facility while recovering due to his “complex” medical situation.

After the Vatican announced a slight improvement in Pope Francis's condition at the end of February, a video was shared in social media posts that falsely claimed it showed the 88-year-old pontiff had been "discharged from hospital".

"I feel in my heart the ‘blessing’ that is hidden within frailty, because it is precisely in these moments that we learn even more to trust in the Lord."

Pope Francis, who has been in hospital for just over two weeks fighting double pneumonia, is in a stable condition and has not had further breathing crises, the Vatican said on Saturday.

Pope Francis, battling double pneumonia in hospital for almost a month, remains stable and a recent X-ray confirmed improvements in his condition that had been seen in previous days, the Vatican said on Wednesday.

Pope Francis has participated remotely in the Vatican’s spiritual retreat after getting good news from his doctors

Pope Francis will on Thursday mark the 12th anniversary of his election as leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, but he will do so from Rome's Gemelli hospital where he has been treated for double pneumonia for almost a month.

The pope rested peacefully overnight as he began his 27th consecutive day in the hospital Wednesday morning, the Vatican said.