Pope Francis has released an audio message thanking people across the world for their support after being admitted to hospital on 14 February.
It is the first time the 88-year-old has been heard by the public since entering hospital to be treated for bronchitis, before being diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs.
The short, two-line message, recorded earlier that day from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, was played during a nightly prayer service for the pope in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican.
Earlier this week the Vatican said the Pontiff was stable after suffering two episodes of respiratory failure and had been using “non-invasive mechanical ventilation”, but is now back on a high-flow oxygen mask.
The Pope has been forced to cancel a number events since his hospitalisation, most recently on Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the six-week period leading up to Easter.
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