It has been nearly twelve years to the day that Jorge Mario Bergoglio became Pope Francis and since then has worked to help migrants, the homeless and opened the church to the LGBTQ+ Catholics. He has been a vocal advocate for peace in the world and made the defense of the environment a pillar of his papacy.

Pope Francis, battling double pneumonia in hospital for almost a month, remains stable and a recent X-ray confirmed improvements in his condition that had been seen in previous days, the Vatican said on Wednesday.

Pope Francis marks 12 years as head of the Catholic Church on Thursday, seemingly out of danger after a month in hospital but with his health casting a shadow over his future. The 88-year-old was, for a time,

Pope Francis, who was elected on 13 March 2013, has been in hospital for the past month and has been improving in recent days.

Pope Francis will on Thursday mark the 12th anniversary of his election as leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, but he will do so from Rome's Gemelli hospital where he has been treated for double pneumonia for almost a month.