Vatican says Pope Francis no longer needs mechanical help to breathe

Pope Francis concelebrating mass inside his private chapel at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome on Sunday (Vatican Press Office/AP)

Pope Francis’s condition continued to improve on Wednesday and he no longer needs to use non-invasive mechanical ventilation to help him breathe at night, the Vatican said.

The pontiff, 88, is also reducing his reliance on high-flow supplemental oxygen during the day, the Vatican said in a medical bulletin.