Rome. Pope Francis was stable and undergoing therapy Monday after overcoming a setback in his recovery from pneumonia, the Vatican said. He is off mechanical ventilation and showing no signs of a new infection following a respiratory crisis late last week.

"The pope rested well all night," the Vatican said in an update from Gemelli hospital, where he has been hospitalized since Feb. 14.

Francis, 88, had coffee and breakfast Monday before continuing therapy. Doctors reported that he spent all of Sunday without needing a noninvasive mechanical ventilation mask, which had been used after a coughing episode and respiratory crisis on Friday. He remained on high-flow supplemental oxygen via a nasal tube.

The crisis had raised concerns about a new lung infection after he inhaled some vomit. Doctors aspirated it and said they needed 24 to 48 hours to determine if an infection had developed. By Sunday evening, they reported that Francis remained stable, with no fever or infection, suggesting he had cleared the crisis. His prognosis remained guarded, however.

On Sunday, the pope met with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and his chief of staff, Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra. While the content of their discussions was not disclosed, Francis typically meets with them weekly, even when at the Vatican.

The pope skipped his weekly noon blessing to avoid a public appearance. Instead, the Vatican released a message he had written from his hospital room, thanking doctors for their care and supporters for their prayers. He also renewed his call for peace in Ukraine and elsewhere.

"From here, war appears even more absurd," Francis wrote, adding that he was experiencing his hospitalization as a moment of solidarity with the sick and suffering.

"I feel in my heart the 'blessing' hidden within frailty," he said. "It is in these moments that we learn even more to trust in the Lord. At the same time, I thank God for allowing me to share, in body and spirit, the condition of so many sick and suffering people."

Francis, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, was admitted to Gemelli after his bronchitis worsened and developed into complex pneumonia in both lungs.

On Sunday night at the Vatican, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski led a Rosary prayer in St. Peter’s Square, calling on the faithful to pray for the pope’s health. Krajewski, who serves as the pope’s almoner, has expanded the role into an extension of Francis’ personal charity work.

On Monday night, Cardinal Robert Prevost, head of the Vatican’s office for bishops, was set to lead another prayer service for Francis.

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