Vatican says hospitalised Pope can briefly breathe without help

A nun prays at the statue of John Paul II outside the Gemelli University Hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalised in Rome on March 15, 2025. [AFP]

Pope Francis is spending short moments breathing on his own, the Vatican said on Monday, the day after publishing the first photo of the 88-year-old since his hospitalisation a month ago.

The head of the Catholic Church has been in Rome's Gemelli hospital since February 14, treated for pneumonia in both lungs.