The nuns who operate the Vatican’s switchboard are fielding a growing number of calls while the pope is in the hospital.

Pope Francis, who has been in hospital since February 14 with pneumonia in both lungs, is stable and talk has turned to when he might go home. But

Pope Francis is improving but still requires various in-hospital therapies, the Vatican said Saturday, even as it revealed the 88-year-old pontiff had laid plans to extend his years-long Synod process into 2028.

Pope Francis remains under the care of doctors, nurses and other staff at Rome's Gemelli Hospital, where he has been receiving treatment for bilateral pneumonia since Feb. 14. This week was a pivotal one for the Pope,