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,

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