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,

Francis, 88, was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on February 14 with a severe respiratory infection that developed into double pneumonia.

Today is Ash Wednesday, the start of the Lenten Season in Catholicism, one of the most religious seasons in the Catholic Church. And, with Pope Francis' health failing, parishioners at Rockford's Cathedral of St.