Pope Francis, who suffered two respiratory crises on Monday as he battles double pneumonia, has stabilised and no longer needs to use mechanical ventilation for help breathing, the Vatican said on Tuesday.

The Vatican said as of Tuesday morning, Francis no longer needed to wear the noninvasive mechanical ventilation mask that covers his nose and mouth to pump oxygen into his lungs and was just receiving supplemental oxygen through a nasal tube.

The pope may have turned a corner as the Vatican said he had no new respiratory crisis on Tuesday and that he remains stable. The Associated Press reported that Pope Francis will sleep with a ventilation mask. He is breathing with the help of high-flow supplemental oxygen via nasal cannula after two respiratory crises on Monday.