Pope FrancisĀ rested well overnight, the Vatican said on Tuesday, after the 88-year-old pontiff suffered a setback a day earlier as he battles double pneumonia in hospital.
Francis, who has been in Romeās Gemelli Hospital since Feb. 14, had what the Vatican described asĀ two episodesĀ of āacute respiratory insufficiencyā on Monday.
They required him to return to using non-invasive, mechanical ventilation to help him breathe.
āThe pope slept all night and is continuing to rest,ā said a one-line note from the Vatican.
A full medical update on the popeās condition was expected on Tuesday evening.
Francis has not been seen in public since entering the hospital, his longest absence from view since his papacy started in March 2013.
His doctors have not said how long his treatment might last.
Mondayās setback came following several days of relatively upbeat statements about his condition. The Vatican said the two respiratory episodes on Monday were caused by āa significant accumulation of endobronchial mucus.ā
The pope, it said, had suffered a bronchospasm, akin to an asthma attack, and had required two bronchoscopies, or procedures to inspect his air passages.
The popeās prognosis remained āguarded,ā Mondayās statement said, which means Francis is not out of danger.
A Vatican official, who did not wish to be named because he was not authorised to discuss the popeās health, said on Monday evening that the pontiffās blood tests that day had remained stable.
The popeās doctors believe the respiratory episode was part of his bodyās normal response in fighting infection, the official added.
Francis has experiencedĀ several bouts of ill healthĀ over the last two years and is prone to lung infections because he had pleurisy as a young adult and had part of one lung removed.
Double pneumoniaĀ is a serious infection in both lungs that can inflame and scar them, making it difficult to breathe.