ROME (AP) — Pope Francis remained in critical condition Monday but showed slight improvement in laboratory tests and resumed some work, the Vatican said, including calling a parish in Gaza City that he has kept in touch with since the war there began.

The Vatican described his condition as critical for the first time on Saturday, reporting that the 88-year-old Francis needed supplemental oxygen and blood transfusions after a "prolonged asthma-like respiratory crisis.

Pope Francis, hospitalised in critical condition with pneumonia in both lungs, was showing a “slight improvement”, the Vatican said Monday, while cautioning that doctors would not offer a prognosis. Amid global concern over the 88-year-old’s health,