Pope Francis was hospitalized on Feb. 14, after suffering a bout of bronchitis for weeks and after increasingly finding it hard to speak publicly.

A Mass was held in St. Peter's Basilica Friday in honor of Pope Francis as the 88-year-old marked two milestones this week: his 12-year anniversary as pontiff and the one-month mark since he was hospitalized for ongoing treatment of a respiratory infection.

On the occasion of the 12th anniversary of his election to the papacy, Pope Francis received hundreds of drawings, messages, and letters from children and well-wishers.