Pope Francis slightly improved but remains in a critical condition

While Pope Francis remains in a critical condition with double pneumonia, the Vatican said on Tuesday that he has had a good night’s sleep and is slightly improved.

In its most upbeat bulletin in days, it said he has resumed work from his hospital room, calling a parish in Gaza City that he has kept in touch with since the war there began.

Well-wishers have left candles and photos outside Rome’s Gemelli hospital where the 88-year-old Catholic church leader was admitted on 14 February.

He was experiencing breathing difficulties and bronchitis, but his condition has since worsened.

Doctors for the Argentinian Pope, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, have declined to decide on a prognosis given "the complexity of the clinical picture".

The Vatican said, however, that he hasn’t had any more respiratory crises since Saturday, and the flow and concentration of supplemental oxygen has been slightly reduced.

The Vatican has set in motion a nightly marathon of prayer with hundreds of faithful gathered in St Peter’s Square on Monday evening as cardinals recited prayers for Francis.