Rome: Pope Francis is continuing his recovery from double pneumonia, with the Vatican’s operations and Holy Year celebrations proceeding without him. This weekend is dedicated to volunteers of the Catholic Church.

The 88-year-old pope, who has chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed in his youth, is now in his fourth week at Rome's Gemelli hospital. His condition has stabilised following a series of acute respiratory crises. The Vatican stated that he was continuing with respiratory and physical therapy after a quiet, restful night.

In his absence, Cardinal Pietro Parolin celebrated Mass for a pro-life group at St Peter's Basilica. During the Mass, Parolin delivered a message from the pope, sent from the hospital on March 5. In the message, Francis emphasised the importance of protecting life, from conception to natural death, and encouraged the faithful to advocate for the elderly and the incurably ill, in addition to the unborn.

Later on Saturday, Cardinal Michael Czerny, a close associate of the pope, presided over prayers for Francis, which will continue through the weekend. Czerny will also lead the Holy Year Mass for volunteers on Sunday, a ceremony that Francis was originally scheduled to celebrate.

On Friday, Francis spent 20 minutes in the Gemelli hospital chapel, praying and working between rest and therapy. A medical update on his condition was expected later on Saturday. He has been relying on high-flow oxygen during the day and uses a non-invasive mechanical ventilation mask at night.

Despite some stabilisation in his condition, doctors have expressed concern over the pope's prolonged stay in hospital. They warned that the longer he remains hospitalised, the greater his risk of secondary infections. Francis has also experienced episodes of acute respiratory failure and has undergone bronchoscopies to clear mucus from his lungs.

Respiratory and intensive care specialist Dr Andrew Chadwick noted that, after three weeks of hospitalisation, he would have expected to see improvement. “While he has stabilised, this looks more concerning than it did at the beginning,” he said.

Dr Jeffrey Millstein, a clinical assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, said it wasn’t surprising that Francis hadn’t shown improvement after three weeks. He expressed that the pope's condition remained precarious, describing it as "a touch and go kind of situation," but added that recovery was still possible, albeit a long process.

Pope Francis was initially hospitalised on February 14 for a severe case of bronchitis. The infection progressed into double pneumonia, sidelining him for the longest period of his 12-year papacy and raising questions about the future.