The night passed well..

POPE Francis showed a slight improvement yesterday after the night went well, the Vatican said.

- BY MATTHEW YOUNG in Rome

It said the 88-year-old, being treated in hospital for double pneumonia and chronic bronchitis, was in good spirits and resumed some work.

A statement said: “In the evening he called the parish priest of the Gaza parish to express his fatherly closeness.”

In two positive developments, the Vatican said a slight kidney problem found on Sunday is of no concern.

It added that while the Pontiff is continuing to receive supplemental oxygen it is “with slightly reduced flows and percentage of oxygen”.

As a young man, Francis lost part of a lung to pleurisy. He also had an acute case of pneumonia in 2023.