Pope Francis, hospitalised for a month with pneumonia, called Tuesday for an end to war in a letter to Italy's leading newspaper, and urged the media to "serve the truth," reports AFP.

Emphasising the need for responsible journalism in a time of conflict, the 88-year-old Catholic leader pushed for keeping a cool head, noting that the media had a duty to "feel the full importance of words".

"They are never just words: they are facts that build human environments. They can connect or divide, serve the truth or use it," Francis wrote to the Corriere della Sera, in a letter dated March 14.

"We must disarm words, to disarm minds and disarm the Earth. There is a great need for reflection, for calmness, for a sense of complexity."

"While war only devastates communities and the environment, without offering solutions to conflicts, diplomacy and international organisations need new life and credibility," he wrote.

The letter was written in response to a note sent by Corriere's director Luciano Fontana to the pope, who has been in Rome's Gemelli hospital since February 14.

Francis, who regularly calls for an end to conflicts around the world, noted that "in this moment of illness... war appears even more absurd".

"Human fragility, in fact, has the power to make us more clear about what lasts and what passes, what makes us live and what kills," he wrote.

Peace, the Argentine pontiff said, "requires commitment, work, silence, words".

Doctors have said Francis's condition is now stable, after a critical period marked by breathing crises that raised fears for his life. But the Vatican has not indicated when he might leave hospital.

On Monday evening, the Vatican said he was now spending short periods breathing on his own.

For at least two weeks, Francis has been alternating an oxygen mask at night with a cannula -- a plastic tube tucked into his nostrils that delivers high-flow oxygen -- during the day.

He is now shifting to a reduced flow for the first time during the day, it said.

In hospital, Francis has worked when able, while alternating rest with prayer.

Despite his progress, speculation continues that he could eventually step down due to his fragility, following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Benedict XVI.

On Monday, Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin told reporters that he had noted an improvement in Francis' health during a visit last week.

But asked whether the conversation had turned to the pope's resignation, he replied: "No, no, no, absolutely not."

MSH

At least 34 people, including two babies were killed when a contraband fuel depot exploded into flames in southern Benin near the border with Nigeria on Saturday.

According to Beninese Interior Minister Alassane Seidou, “a serious fire occurred in the town of Seme Podji. Another 20 people were seriously wounded in the incident.”

"I can't really give you the cause of the fire, but there is a large gasoline warehouse here and cars, tricycles and motorcycles come from morning to evening,” he added.

Nigeria is a main oil and gas producer where fuel smuggling is very common along its borders, particularly when the government maintains a subsidy to keep fuel prices low.

The majority of the victims were burnt and they could not be not be identified.

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