Pontiff continues Holy Thursday tradition of visiting prisons.

Pope Francis is expected to visit Rome's Regina Coeli prison on the afternoon of 17 April to mark Holy Thursday, according to Vatican sources cited by Italian media.

The private visit will take place "only if conditions allow", Corriere della Sera reports, as the 88-year-old pontiff recovers from a life-threatening case of double pneumonia.

It is not known yet whether the visit will involve the celebration of the Mass of the Lord's Supper or will entail a prayer with the prisoners.

Since becoming pontiff in 2013, Francis has marked Holy Thursday by celebrating Mass in jails - including Regina Coeli in 2018 - and washing the feet of prisoners.

This year the Vatican did not included the pope's name on the Holy Week programme, as Francis continues to convalesce following his recent five-week hospital stay in Rome, however he made a surprise appearance at the Palm Sunday ceremony in St Peter's Square.

On Wednesday the pontiff received members of his medical team who cared for him at the Gemelli Hospital, thanking them for their service.

Francis met each of the 70 doctors, nurses and managers in person, speaking in a soft voice and breathing without the nasal tubes that provide supplemental oxygen.

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