Pope Francis' condition remains 'stable,' Vatican says

ROME and LONDON -- Pope Francis' clinical condition remains "stable" on Sunday, the Vatican said, as the pontiff continues to be hospitalized for the 17th consecutive day.

"The Pope does not require non-invasive mechanical ventilation, but only high-flow oxygen therapy," the Vatican press office said Sunday afternoon in a statement, adding that Pope Francis doesn't have a fever.

"This morning the Holy Father participated in Holy Mass, together with those who have been taking care of him during his stay in the hospital, and so he alternated rest with prayer," the office added.

In a prayer published earlier Sunday, the pontiff thanked Gemelli Hospital's doctors and medical staff "for the attention with which they are taking care of me."

The prayer -- the pope's weekly Angelus -- was dispatched from the hospital in Rome, where the pope was resting early Sunday after a "quiet" night, the Vatican said earlier Sunday in a brief statement.

"The night was quiet, the pope is still resting," the Vatican's press office said.

Francis in his prayer to followers said he felt "all your affection and closeness," adding that he felt "as if I am 'carried' and supported by all Gods people."

"I feel in my heart the 'blessing' that is hidden within frailty, because it is precisely in these moments that we learn even more to trust in the Lord," he said in the prayer.

He added, "At the same time, I thank God for giving me the opportunity to share in body and spirit the condition of so many sick and suffering people."

Francis, who has led the Catholic Church since 2013, was admitted to Gemelli on Feb. 14 and was diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia.

The 88-year-old pontiff had been in stable condition on Saturday, church officials said, following a bronchospasm attack on Friday.