Pope Francis has approved a new three-year reform process for the Catholic Church, sending a strong signal he plans to continue in the post despite spending more than a month in hospital battling pneumonia.

Pope Francis is on his 29th straight day in the hospital, a day after he marked the 12th anniversary of when he was elected pope.

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,