Pope Francis had stabilized enough Tuesday after two respiratory crises to be taken off noninvasive mechanical ventilation and resume receiving just high flows of supplemental oxygen via a nasal tube to help him breathe,

Francis suffered the two crises Monday. Doctors extracted “copious” amounts of mucus that had accumulated in his lungs, the Vatican said in a late update.

Pope Francis has been hospitalized at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital since mid-February, where he has been battling double pneumonia. On Friday, he had a sudden respiratory episode, which required him to receive an oxygen mask. His current hospitalization is his fourth - and now longest - stay since he became pope in 2013.