POPE Francis has been taken off ventilation after suffering two 'acute respiratory failures' on Monday, the Vatican has said.

The pontiff, 88, has been hospitalised in Rome since February 14 where he was diagnosed with double pneumonia, though his condition seemed to worsen on Monday.

However, in a positive update, The Holy See confirmed that he has since stabilised.

The Pope has now returned to receiving oxygen via a small nasal cannula under his nose, said the Vatican press office.

He "slept all night long and continues to rest," it added.

His condition, it said, is stable, although doctors have kept his prognosis as "guarded", meaning the pope is not out of danger.

On Monday, Francis had been put on non-invasive ventilation after a "significant accumulation of endobronchial mucus and consequent bronchospasm."

This is said to be similar to an asthma attack with two minor procedures carried out to inspect his airway.

The church added: "Two bronchoscopies were therefore performed with the need for aspiration of abundant secretions.

"In the afternoon, non-invasive mechanical ventilation was resumed.

"The Holy Father has always remained vigilant, oriented and collaborative."

A full update on his condition is expected to be released on Tuesday evening.

It is not known if the Pontiff was sedated while undergoing the bronchoscopies.

But the medical crises on Monday are believed to be the Pope's body reacting to infection, the Vatican said.

It comes after he suffered other respiratory crises, including one on Friday where he had an isolated bronchospasm - the tightening of the muscles in the airway.

The Vatican said Francis had "an episode of vomiting with inhalation and a sudden worsening of the respiratory condition."

Just days before that on February 22, he suffered a "prolong asthmatic respiratory crisis."

Francis, who has led the Catholic Church since 2013, has a history of lung problems, having had part of one lung removed due to pleurisy as a young man.

But while his condition appears to have stabilised, the prognosis remains uncertain.

Medical experts have warned that as Francis spends his 19th day in hospital, the repeated crises are alarming.

Bruno Crestani, head of the pulmonology department at Bichat hospital in Paris said: "At 88 years old, being in the hospital for two weeks and having repeated episodes of respiratory discomfort is a very bad sign".

Herve Pegliasco, head of pulmonology at the European Hospital in Marseille, added that with double pneumonia, "there is the issue of exhaustion, because he is forced to make much more effort to breathe".

But despite not being seen publicly since his admission, the Pontiff has managed to undertake some work - making calls and receiving visits from officials.

He has even commented on the conflict in Ukraine with thanking well wishers for their prayers.

Francis said in his message: "From here, war appears even more absurd."

He added that he was living his hospitalisation as an "experience of profound solidarity" with people who are "sick and suffering everywhere".

"I feel in my heart the blessing that is hidden within frailty, because it is precisely in these moments that we learn even more to trust in the Lord," Francis said in the text.

"At the same time, I thank God for giving me the opportunity to share in body and spirit the condition of so many sick and suffering people."

On Tuesday, the morning "was devoted to rest and prayer," the Vatican said.

It added that the Pope will not be leading the annual Ash Wednesday service on March 5 to mark the beginning of Lent.

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