Pope Francis is in stable condition, the Vatican said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that blood tests showed "a slight improvement" since he was hospitalized last week with severe respiratory issues.

The Vatican said Pope Francis has the "onset of bilateral pneumonia," and that tests, a chest X-ray and the pope's clinical condition present a "complex picture."

Pope Francis, battling double pneumonia in hospital, is in a stable condition and has shown "slight improvement" in results from recent blood tests, the Vatican said on Wednesday. The 88-year-old pontiff is undergoing treatment at Rome's Gemelli hospital,