Pope Francis stops using oxygen mask as condition improves, Vatican says 

Pope Francis is no longer using an oxygen mask to breathe at night and his doctors believe he will continue to improve, the Vatican has said.

In the latest update on the pope’s health, the Vatican said in a statement on Wednesday that Francis is “improving” after spending more than one month in the hospital.

Francis, 88, had been using noninvasive mechanical ventilation overnight during his stay at Gemelli Hospital in Rome, Italy for a severe respiratory infection.

The statement added that while ventilation had been “suspended”, the pope still receives oxygen via a small plastic tube under his nose.

The Vatican press office also said that the pope’s doctors believe his infection is under control.

The press office added that the leader of the Catholic Church has no fever, and his blood tests are normal. The update comes after the Vatican said on Monday that the pope had been spending short moments breathing alone.

While the pontiff’s condition has been stable or improving for the past two weeks, the Vatican has not given a timeframe for his possible discharge.

Britain’s King Charles announced on Tuesday that he and his wife, Queen Camilla, would travel to Italy and the Vatican in early April.

Currently, the royals are scheduled to meet Francis on April 8 for an appointment typically organised in close coordination with senior Vatican officials.

Francis had been admitted to the hospital on February 14 after suffering from pneumonia in both lungs.

During his stay in hospital, the pope has been receiving both respiratory physiotherapy to aid with breathing and physical therapy to help with knee and back pain.

On Sunday, the Vatican released the first image of Francis in hospital, showing him praying in a chapel.

The pope is prone to respiratory infections after he had pleurisy, a chest infection, and had part of one lung removed as a young man.