Pope Francis has spent 19 full days at Rome's Gemelli hospital, however, it doesn't come close to approaching the record-long stays of St. John Paul II during his quarter-century pontificate.

Pope Francis, battling double pneumonia in hospital for almost a month, remains stable and a recent X-ray confirmed improvements in his condition that had been seen in previous days, the Vatican said on Wednesday.

Pope Francis had another quiet night in hospital, the Vatican said in its Friday morning update, as his recovery from bilateral pneumonia continues. The 88-year-old has now spent four weeks in hospital,