The Vatican reported another slight improvement in Pope Francis's condition as the 88-year-old spent his seventh day in hospital being treated for double pneumonia. The Argentine pontiff was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital last Friday with bronchitis, but it later developed into pneumonia in both lungs, sparking widespread alarm.

"The clinical conditions of the Holy Father are slightly improving," the Vatican said in its regular early evening update. "He is apyretic (without fever), and his hemodynamic (blood flow) parameters continue to be stable. This morning he received the Eucharist and subsequently devoted himself to his work activities," it added.

The Vatican sent a similar message on Wednesday evening, saying blood tests had also shown a "slight improvement."

Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, head of Italy's bishops conference, had earlier said the pontiff was "on the right path". "We are all worried about the pope," Zuppi, who has not visited Francis, told reporters. "The fact that the pope had breakfast, read the newspapers, and received people means that we are on the right path to a full recovery, which we hope will happen soon".