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Pope Francis remained stable through the day on Sunday and no longer required the use of mechanical ventilation to breathe, the Vatican said, in a sign of progress as the 88-year-old pontiff battles double pneumonia.

Francis has been in Rome’s Gemelli hospital for more than two weeks. He was admitted on February 14 with a severe respiratory infection that triggered other complications.

“The clinical conditions of the Holy Father have remained stable throughout the day,” said the latest detailed update about the pontiff’s condition on Sunday.

The Pope, it said, no longer needed the use of what the Vatican has called “non-invasive mechanical ventilation” but was continuing to receive oxygen via a small hose under his nose.

The statement said the Pope had not had a fever on Sunday. It said doctors were keeping his prognosis as “guarded” due to “the complexity of the clinical picture”, meaning the Pope is not out of danger.

Francis suffered a constriction of his respiratory airways on Friday, akin to an asthma attack, which required him to be aspirated and placed temporarily on ventilation.

The Vatican said on Saturday that the pontiff’s condition had stabilised.

Reuters