Pope Francis is resting Thursday after a peaceful night during his third week of hospital treatment for double pneumonia.

On Wednesday, Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, the Major Penitentiary, celebrated the traditional Mass beginning Lent at the Basilica of Santa Sabina in Rome, and read the homily prepared by Pope Francis.

Ailing Pope Francis's condition is "stable" and he has not suffered a fresh breathing crisis, the Vatican said Thursday, as the 88-year-old nears three weeks in hospital with pneumonia. "The clinical conditions of the Holy Father have remained stable compared to the previous days",