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Pope Francis, who has been unable to appear in public for several weeks due to ill health, released a prayer on Sunday thanking hospital staff for his care. 

The pontiff has been receiving treatment at a Rome hospital for nearly a month, and the Vatican announced that he is experiencing a "gradual, mild improvement" in his health, and remains in stable condition.

 from the Holy See Press Office on Saturday, Francis has shown "a good response to the therapies," but doctors at Rome's Gemelli Hospital continue to consider his prognosis as "guarded," which means the outcome is still uncertain.

The 88-year-old entered the hospital on Feb. 14 for a case of bronchitis. Francis had part of his lung removed in his twenties due to an infection, and he was 

But his most recent hospitalization has been marked by several complications. Shortly after being admitted in mid-February, Francis 

 a "polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract," which lengthened his hospital stay. The pope was then 

 and given supplemental oxygen. He has also 

 several episodes of "acute respiratory crisis."

On Saturday, the Holy See Press Office said Francis had remained in stable condition for the last few days, with stable blood work results and no fever. The pope was resting Sunday morning after a quiet night, Vatican officials said.

In the text of the Sunday Angelus prayer prepared by the pope and 

, Francis called for a "miracle of tenderness" for those experiencing hardship and thanked healthcare workers across the globe.

"During my prolonged hospitalization here," Francis said in the prayer, "I too experience the thoughtfulness of service and the tenderness of care, in particular from the doctors and healthcare workers, whom I thank from the bottom of my heart."

The pope also offered a prayer for people living in countries experiencing armed conflicts, and thanked those who volunteer in their local communities, as the Jubilee for the World of Volunteering event was taking place in Rome over the weekend.

"In our societies, too enslaved to market logic, where everything risks being subject to the criterion of interest and the quest for profit," Francis said, "volunteering is prophecy and a sign of hope, because it bears witness to the primacy of gratuitousness, solidarity, and service to those most in need."

Religion and Faith

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Joe Hernandez

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The Holy See Press Office said the pontiff has shown "a good response to the therapies." He was hospitalized on Feb. 14 for a case of bronchitis.

Pope Francis pens prayer thanking hospital staff, as he shows 'mild improvement'

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