As Pope Francis has battled double pneumonia in hospital for nearly three weeks, talk of the 88-year-old pontiff's death or resignation has become almost commonplace.

Pope Francis had stabilized enough Tuesday after two respiratory crises to be taken off noninvasive mechanical ventilation and receive just high flows of supplemental oxygen, as he continued his more than two-week long fight against double pneumonia,

Pope Francis, the 88-year-old leader of the Catholic church, had another setback in his battle with double pneumonia after suffering two acute respiratory failures when mucus in his lungs made it harder to breathe.