<p>Pope improving in hospital, analyst says resignation unlikely.</p><p>The pope was able to move around his hospital room, was taking some phone calls, and was continuing to do some paperwork, the official said.</p><p>One retired Catholic cardinal suggested on Thursday (February 20) that Francis' fragile health could lead the pope to resign as leader of the 1.4 billion-member Catholic Church, as his late predecessor Pope Benedict XVI did.</p><p>But Francis has firmly ruled out resigning in the past, calling it in 2024 only a "distant hypothesis." Church law also requires that any papal resignation be "freely and properly manifested," meaning a pope's decision to step down cannot be influenced in any way by outside pressure.</p>
