“I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers for my health from the Square, I accompany you from here,“ Francis said in a message broadcast in St Peter’s Square.
It was the first time the world has heard Francis's voice since the 88-year-old was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on February 14.
The Vatican said earlier Thursday that the Argentine, head of the worldwide Catholic Church since 2013, is in a “stable” condition.
Francis continued with his breathing exercises and physiotherapy, did not have a fever, and managed to do a bit of work in both the morning and afternoon, it said.
But on Thursday it said that “in view of the stability of the clinical picture, the next medical bulletin will be released on Saturday”.
For the last three nights Francis -- who had part of a lung removed as a young man -- has worn an oxygen mask to help him sleep.
Francis missed the formal Ash Wednesday celebrations in Rome marking the start of Lent, but took part in a blessing in his private suite on the 10th floor of the Gemelli.
Nor has the Vatican issued any photos, although Francis has published several texts.
During previous hospitalisations, the pope appeared on the Gemelli balcony for his weekly Angelus prayer at noon on Sundays.
The Vatican confirmed Thursday that senior cardinal Michael Czerny would stand in for the pope and lead the mass this weekend marking the first Sunday of Lent.
The Holy See said Thursday the event “takes on an even deeper meaning, as the thoughts and prayers of all the brothers and sisters turn to the Holy Father and the experience he is going through”.
The pope was initially diagnosed with bronchitis but it developed into pneumonia in both lungs, sparking alarm across the globe.
On Monday, Francis “experienced two episodes of acute respiratory failure, caused by a significant accumulation of endobronchial mucus and consequent bronchospasm”, according to the Vatican.
Francis's health has regularly led to speculation, particularly among his critics, as to whether he could resign like his predecessor, Benedict XVI.
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