The Vatican says Pope Francis has shown further slight improvement as he battles double pneumonia, but doctors still say his prognosis is still guarded. A CT chest scan taken Tuesday evening showed the "normal evolution" of an infection as it is being treated. Blood tests have confirmed an improvement, according to the Vatican's late update. The slight kidney insufficiency detected a few days ago has receded, and Francis is continuing to receive respiratory physiotherapy. It was the first time the Vatican has said Francis was receiving physiotherapy to help him expel fluid from his lungs. Francis resumed work in the afternoon, after receiving the Eucharist in the morning.

The pope looms so large in everyday Italian life that there are lots of expressions that make light of even a dark event like his death. "A pope dies, they make another," goes one, suggesting how life goes on. His possible successor a matter of intense gossip everywhere, from taxicabs to butchers' shops. Pope Francis' recent bout with pneumonia, which has landed him in the hospital for the fourth time, has fueled more speculation. This time, that's been fueled by the movie "Conclave," which has reminded the world about the arcane rules and spectacular drama involved in a papal election and turned viewers into armchair experts.