VATICAN CITY, Holy See -- Pope Francis called on Tuesday for an end to war around the world in a letter sent from the hospital room where he is recovering from pneumonia.

"While war only devastates communities and the environment, without offering solutions to conflicts, diplomacy and international organizations need new life and credibility," he wrote in the letter dated March 14 and published in the Corriere della Sera newspaper.

Last week the Vatican signaled that the Argentine Jesuit was out of danger after a series of breathing crises earlier in his hospitalization had sparked fears for his life.

On Saturday, the Vatican said Francis's condition continued to be stable and showing progress, as it has for the past week, but cautioned he still needed therapies administered within the hospital setting.

© Agence France-Presse

READ: Hospitalized Pope Francis addresses frailty, calls body 'weak'