Pope Francis is no longer in critical condition - AFP

Pope Francis' condition is currently not critical, a Vatican source said Friday, following a series of clinical improvements in the 88-year-old pontiff, who is suffering from pneumonia in both lungs, AFP reported, writes UNN.

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The Pope has spent the past two weeks in Rome's Gemelli Hospital, and the Vatican reported a gradual improvement in his condition in recent days.

A Vatican source said Friday that “the critical condition has passed for the moment,” but warned that Francis' overall condition “remains complicated” and his prognosis remains “guarded.

Earlier on Friday, the Vatican said the Pope had spent another quiet night in the hospital.

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After being hospitalized on February 14 due to breathing difficulties, the pontiff's condition caused widespread alarm as it worsened to pneumonia in both lungs.

But there was no recurrence of the choking attack he suffered over the weekend, and the Vatican has since issued a more optimistic medical update.

On Monday, he said Francis had a “slight improvement” and on Tuesday noted that his condition was “critical but stable,” the last time he used the term “critical” for his condition.

A “further slight improvement” was reported on Wednesday, and on Thursday the Vatican said that “the Holy Father's clinical condition is confirmed to be improving today.

However, the Vatican has not yet changed the Pope's prognosis from “subdued,” meaning doctors will not predict changes in his health.

Medical experts have warned that Francis' age and the chronic respiratory disease he suffers from mean that sustained recovery could take time.

“Given the complexity of the clinical picture, additional days of clinical stability are needed to determine the prognosis,” the Vatican said Thursday.

Francis, who has been pope since 2013, continues to work at the hospital, where he is staying in a special papal suite on the 10th floor.

According to the Vatican, he also does breathing exercises between resting and prayers.

This hospital stay is the fourth in his nearly 12-year papacy and the longest.

In recent years he has had colon surgery, hernia surgery and pain in his knee and hip that has forced him to be in a wheelchair.

There has been speculation that Francis may now step down, especially as his schedule has been filled with papal duties amid the celebration of the holy jubilee year.

“If the Pope survives, many believe he will want to finish the jubilee year, but then, when he turns 89, he will face the question of whether to resign or not,” Italian Vatican expert Marco Politi told AFP news agency.

Francis has always been willing to follow the example of his predecessor Benedict XVI, who stepped down in 2013 due to health problems - physical and mental.

But Pope Francis had said repeatedly before his hospitalization that it was not yet time - and may never be.