Pope Francis had a good night in hospital in Rome, the Vatican said on Thursday morning, where he is being treated for pneumonia. "The night passed quietly; the pope is still resting," the Holy See Press Office said in a statement.

On Ash Wednesday, observant Catholics receive a sign of the cross in ashes on their foreheads, a gesture that underscores human mortality. It is an obligatory day of fasting and abstinence for Catholics that signals the start of Christianity’s most penitent season.

The Catholic Church opened the solemn Lenten season leading to Easter on Wednesday without the participation of Pope Francis, who is in the third week of hospital treatment for double pneumonia.

As Pope Francis languishes in hospital, thousands gather to pray the rosary - Faithful are leaning on a centuries-old practice amid uncertain times

A group of Argentinian nationals, accompanied by their ambassador, prayed for the health of Pope Francis under the windows of his suite at the Gemelli hospital in Rome on Tuesday.

The expatriate community is small but shares a special bond with Francis, who has been in the hospital since Feb. 14.