Vatican says pontiff "rested well during the night".

Pope Francis' health is improving after he was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital with respiratory problems on Wednesday, the Vatican has confirmed.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement on Thursday that the pontiff "rested well during the night" and that after breakfast "he read some newspapers and resumed work."

The pontiff's "clinical picture is progressively improving and he is continuing with his planned treatment", according to the statement, which noted that before lunch Francis "gathered in prayer in a private chapel in the hospital and received the Eucharist."

I am touched by the many messages received in these hours and I express my gratitude for the closeness and prayer.— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) March 30, 2023

The pope, 86, was admitted to hospital on Wednesday afternoon, following his weekly general audience, for what was initially said to be a scheduled check-up.

However on Wednesday evening the Vatican confirmed that the pontiff had a respiratory infection and would need to spend "a few days" in hospital.

The Vatican said that the pope had experienced breathing difficulties in recent days, and said that tests had ruled out covid.

The pope's illness comes ahead of a busy Holy Week schedule leading up to Easter next weekend.

Italy's president Sergio Mattarella on Thursday sent Pope Francis his best wishes for a speedy recovery, while US president Joe Biden on Wednesday asked people to say "an extra prayer" for the pontiff.

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