Pope Francis is recovering well from pneumonia and a new stage in his pontificate is opening, two of his closest advisers said, offering notes of optimism as the 88-year-old pontiff hit the five-week mark in his hospitalisation. Archbishop Edgar Pea Parra said he had found Francis in good humour and serene during the three times he has visited the pope at the Gemelli hospital in Rome. Pea Parra, who is the Vatican chief of staff, visited Francis on February 24, March 2 and March 9 along with the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the lone Vatican officials who have called on him aside from his personal secretaries. The pope will recover," Pea Parra said on the sidelines of a book launch. The pope is recovering well. The doctors say that he needs some time, but it's going well progressively." I found him well, serene, in good humour, and just like him tough with the desire to go forward, he said. The Vatican press office reported Friday that Francis' overall ...