In the twelfth year of his papacy, Pope Francis marked several key events for the Catholic Church in his 88th year while receiving treatment for bilateral pneumonia at Rome's Gemelli Hospital.

The Pope continues to alternate between non-invasive mechanical ventilation at night and high-flow oxygenation with nasal cannulas during the day, Vatican News reported on March 13.

Pope Francis was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14 to receive treatment for bilateral pneumonia.

"The clinical condition of the Holy Father has remained stable in the context of an overall complex medical picture," according to the statement published by Vatican News.

"The chest X-ray performed [on Tuesday] has radiologically confirmed the improvements observed in the previous days."

Francis, was elected on March 13, 2013.

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In recent days, the Pope has joined spiritual exercises of prayers and meditation held at the Vatican via video link, without being seen.

In a break with tradition, the Holy See has provided daily updates at Francis's own request, the BBC reported.

Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, in Argentina and is the first pope from the Americas.

The Pope has been known to work himself to exhaustion, reported the BBC and he is likely to face a long road to recovery.

There has been speculation he could choose to follow his predecessor, Benedict XVI, and step down.

"But his friends and biographers have insisted he has no plans to step down," said the report

Some 32 million pilgrims are expected to come to Rome in 2025, a Catholic Holy Year.

Francis has also been planning at least one foreign trip to Turkiye for the celebration of the 1,700th anniversary of a major Christian council of bishops in ancient Nicaea.

In his native Argentina, churches across the country will hold masses of thanksgiving to mark the anniversary. The services will also include prayers for his health.

He has been receiving non-invasive oxygen therapy, administered by nasal tubes during the day and via a mask at night.

"Gemelli Hospital has become a second Vatican, a Vatican 2, one might say, because Francis continues to govern the church from there," America, the Jesuit Review commented on March 13.

"He receives top Vatican officials, reads briefs, approves decrees to declare new saints and blesseds, nominates bishops for dioceses worldwide, responds to Jubilee events and expresses concern for the world's conflict situations, including in Israel-Palestine, Ukraine, Lebanon, Sudan and Myanmar and for the flood victims in his homeland."