How’s Pope Francis doing? Can you give him my get-well wishes? Can I speak with him directly? The nuns who operate the Vatican’s switchboard are fielding a growing number of calls with questions like that as the pope remains hospitalized in Rome.

Pope Francis is improving but still requires various in-hospital therapies, the Vatican said Saturday, even as it revealed the 88-year-old pontiff had laid plans to extend his years-long Synod process into 2028.

Pope Francis remains under the care of doctors, nurses and other staff at Rome's Gemelli Hospital, where he has been receiving treatment for bilateral pneumonia since Feb. 14. This week was a pivotal one for the Pope,