Pope Francis, batting double pneumonia in hospital, remained stable throughout the day on Tuesday and did not have any new respiratory crises, the Vatican said.Francis, 88, had suffered two episodes of what the Vatican described as "acute respiratory insufficiency" on Monday.

The frail 88-year-old Catholic leader suffered further setbacks in what has become a more than two-week battle to overcome a complex respiratory infection.

This was the pope's "third serious downturn" since he was admitted to Gemelli Polyclinic hospital with a complex respiratory infection on Feb. 14, the BBC said. The Vatican said laboratory tests suggested the mucus was a response to Francis' original pneumonia, not a new infection.