Pope Francis increased his physical activity Wednesday, called the Catholic parish priest in Gaza and celebrated the start of Lent by receiving ashes on his forehead, the Vatican said. The Holy Father suffered no respiratory crises during the day,

Pope Francis, batting double pneumonia in hospital, remained stable throughout the day on Tuesday and did not have any new respiratory crises, the Vatican said. Francis, 88, had suffered two episodes of what the Vatican described as "acute respiratory insufficiency" on Monday.