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Pope Francis acknowledged being fragile and \u201cfacing a period of trial\u201d, as he thanked well-wishers on Sunday for their prayers in a message from hospital, where he has been slowly recovering from pneumonia<\/a>.<\/p>\n The 88-year-old pope, who has weathered setbacks along with periods of improving health since being hospitalised<\/a> on February 14, sent a particularly personal message to the faithful that referenced both his faith and his frailty.<\/p>\n \u201cI am sharing these thoughts with you while I am facing a period of trial, and I join with so many brothers and sisters who are sick: fragile, at this time, like me,\u201d wrote the pope in the message published by the Vatican.<\/p>\n \u201cOur bodies are weak but, even like this, nothing can prevent us from loving, praying, giving ourselves, being for each other, in faith, shining signs of hope,\u201d added the Argentine pontiff in the message marking the second Sunday of Lent, a 40-day period of prayer and reflection leading up to Easter.<\/p>\n Sunday was the fifth time in a row that the pope\u2019s illness had prevented him from personally giving the Angelus prayer, usually delivered to a crowd gathered in St Peter\u2019s Square following mass.<\/p>\n Although Francis has yet to appear at the window of his papal suite on the 10th floor of the Gemelli hospital, this has not dissuaded a steady stream of well-wishers from gathering, including tango dancers and dozens of children on Sunday.<\/p>\n Under grey skies, about a dozen couples in street clothes danced the tango in front of a throng of cameras as the Argentine pontiff recuperated inside.<\/p>\n \u201cWith this tango, he must be discharged,\u201d enthused dancer Daiana Guspero, 38, who, like the pope, hailed from Buenos Aires. \u201cI want him to feel our energy, our love for tango and for an Argentine pope,\u201d she told AFP<\/em>.<\/p>\n Earlier, a group of young scouts from a Catholic group stood at the foot of a statue of former Pope John Paul II at the hospital entrance, holding yellow and white balloons and vainly striving to catch a glimpse of the pope.<\/p>\n \u201cYou see the pope there!\u201d shouted one of them eagerly, before being set straight by the group leader, Valerio Santobonio, 23: \u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019s him.\u201d<\/p>\n Santobonio told AFP<\/em> that five to seven-year-olds don\u2019t quite yet grasp who the pope is, nor his health situation. Nevertheless, their visit was \u201ca bit like giving them a window onto a wider stage of Christian life\u201d, Santobonio said.<\/p>\n Other children had arrived in the early morning from an impoverished town near Naples to deliver a letter to Francis, said Andrea Lacomini from Unicef, which organised the excursion.<\/p>\n \u201cHe loves children, he is the pope of the children, so we are waiting for him. We\u2019re sure he will get better,\u201d Lacomini told AFP<\/em>. \u201cWe need an important leader like him, because at this time there aren\u2019t many heroes in the world,\u201d he added. \u201cHe\u2019s the only one who talks about peace.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite failing to appear at the window, Francis addressed his youngest well-wishers in his message.<\/p>\n \u201cI know that many children are praying for me; some of them came here today to \u2018Gemelli\u2019 as a sign of closeness,\u201d Francis wrote. \u201cThank you, dearest children! The pope loves you and is always waiting to meet you.\u201d<\/p>\n\u2018Loving care\u2019<\/h2>\n