Pope spends 12th anniversary as head of Catholic Church in hospital as recovery continues

LONDON and ROME -- Pope Francis is spending his 28th consecutive day in the hospital on the 12th anniversary of when he was elected pope following five ballots in a papal conclave.

Pope Francis' medical staff celebrated the pope's 12th anniversary with a cake and candles.

The pope continued his respiratory therapy Thursday afternoon and followed the evenings Lenten spiritual exercises.

While no events are planned to mark the pontiff’s 12 years as head of the Catholic Church, it is a public holiday at the Vatican, as it is each year.

Pope Francis' condition remained "stationary" on Wednesday, with tests confirming his improvement, according to the Vatican.

A chest X-ray performed on Tuesday confirmed improvements recorded over the past few days, the Holy See, the Vatican's press office, said in its Wednesday evening update.

The pope continues to undergo high-flow oxygen therapy during the day and "noninvasive mechanical ventilation during his night rest," the Vatican said.

Pope Francis' prognosis was "lifted" on Monday, meaning he is no longer in imminent danger, but the clinical picture remains complex.

The 88-year-old pontiff will continue "for additional days, the pharmacological medical therapy in a hospital environment" due to the "complexity of the clinical picture and the significant infectious picture presented at hospitalization," the Vatican said.

Francis' doctors said there are positive signs of the pontiff's recovery, but caution remains, according to Vatican sources, after he was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14 and was diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia.