Pope Francis showed slight improvement in laboratory tests Monday and resumed some work activities, including calling a parish in Gaza City that he has kept in touch with since the war there began, the Vatican said.

The Vatican described his condition as critical for the first time on Saturday, reporting that the 88-year-old Francis needed supplemental oxygen and blood transfusions after a "prolonged asthma-like respiratory crisis.

(James Hill | The New York Times) A woman prays at the statue of Pope John Paul II outside Gemelli Hospital in Rome, where Pope Francis is being treated for pneumonia, a complex infection and kidney problems that have left him in critical condition, on Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. The 88-year-old pontiff was resting on Monday, the Vatican said.