Pope Francis is heard speaking for the first time in out-of-breath audio message from hospital as he continues to be treated for pneumonia

Pope Francis has been heard speaking for the first time since being hospitalised for double pneumonia nearly three weeks ago.

In a brief two-line audio message he expressed thanks ‘from the bottom of my heart’ to well-wishers around the world who have offered their support.

The message recorded at Rome’s Gemelli hospital earlier today was played during a nightly prayer service for the Pope in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican.

‘I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers in the Square for my health,’ said the Pontiff, 88, speaking in his native Spanish, and pausing every few words to take a deep breath. 

‘May God bless you,’ he adds.

The audio message came shortly after the Vatican said the Pope had remained stable on Thursday and did not have any new episodes of respiratory crisis.

In a sign of progress he continues treatment, the Pope’s doctors said they would not issue another medical bulletin until Saturday, ‘considering the stability of the clinical picture’.

Francis was admitted to Gemelli hospital on February 14 with a severe respiratory infection that has required continuously evolving treatment.

Fears for his health ignited dramatically on Monday when it emerged he twice suffered acute respiratory failure. 

In the latest detailed medical update on his condition, the Vatican said the Pope had not had a fever and his blood tests had remained stable. 

Despite pausing the daily readouts about his condition, the doctors continued to call the Pope’s prognosis ‘guarded’, meaning he was not yet out of danger.

The tone of the updates from the Vatican has been more upbeat in recent days, following what was described as two episodes of ‘acute respiratory insufficiency’ on Monday.

On Thursday, the Vatican said the Pope had been able to work between receiving his treatments and taking rest.

It also said the Pontiff, who has used a wheelchair in recent years due to knee and back pain, had continued with some physical therapy to help with mobility, which first started on Wednesday.

Monday’s respiratory episodes had required Francis to use non-invasive mechanical ventilation, which involves placing a mask over the face to help push air into the lungs.

The Pope is now only receiving ventilation at night, said the Vatican. During the day, he receives oxygen via a small hose under his nose.

Francis has not been seen in public since entering hospital, his longest such absence since his papacy started 12 years ago. His doctors have not said how long the treatment might last.

The Pope, who is known to work himself to exhaustion, has continued to work from hospital. On Thursday, the Vatican announced the appointments of two bishops that would have required his approval. 

The 88-year-old has made a return to X in recent days too, initially with two posts on Sunday, March 2.

The Pontiff thanked well-wishers across the globe for their prayers in one post, as well as wishing his best to Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan and Kyiv amid ongoing unrest. 

While trying to maintain neutrality, the Pope has repeatedly called for peace between Ukraine and Russia as well as attempting to achieve a similar balancing act for Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.

It was announced last week that despite his serious illness, Francis has continued his daily contact with Gaza’s only Catholic church via phone call. 

The Pope has experienced several bouts of ill health over the last two years and is prone to lung infections because he had pleurisy as a young adult and had part of one lung removed.

Double pneumonia is a serious infection in both lungs that can inflame and scar them, making it difficult to breathe.

Well-wishers across the globe have continued to pray for the health of the Pope, with candles also being lit outside the hospital in Rome.

Amid his ailing health, many have speculated that Francis will give up the Papacy before it’s too late. 

He revealed he penned a statement 12 years ago in the event that illness prevents him from fulfilling his duties.

Francis wrote the letter to Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the then Secretary of State, who holds the second highest position in the Vatican.

Asked whether there was a procedure in the event he would have to resign, the leader of the Catholic Church once told Spanish newspaper ABC he had made provision for his renunciation after taking office in 2013.

Referring to Cardinal Bertone, he said: ‘I signed it and said: “If I should become impaired for medical reasons or whatever, here is my resignation. Here you have it.”‘

He added that he expected his letter would have been passed on to Cardinal Bertone’s successor, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

‘Now someone will run up to Bertone [and say] “Give me that piece of paper!” the Pope said jokingly during the interview.

In an update on the Pope’s health yesterday, the Vatican said he is now ‘stable’ and would spend the night on ‘non-invasive mechanical ventilation’. 

A Holy See spokesperson said: ‘The Holy Father remained stable today (March 5) as well, without any episodes of respiratory insufficiency.

‘As planned, he utilized supplemental, high-flow oxygenation, and non-invasive mechanical ventilation will be resumed tonight.’

‘The Holy Father increased his respiratory and active motor physiotherapy. He spent the day in his armchair.

‘Given the complexity of the clinical situation, the prognosis remains guarded.

‘This morning, in the private apartment located on the 10th floor, the Holy Father participated in the rite of the blessing of the Sacred Ashes, which were imposed on him by the celebrant. He then received the Eucharist.

‘Afterwards, he engaged in several work activities. During the morning, he also called Father Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest of the Holy Family Church in Gaza.

‘In the afternoon, he alternated between rest and work.’