The Vatican said a medical examination has shown that Pope Francis does not have pneumonia, after he experienced flu-like symptoms at the weekend that forced him to cancel activities.
However, spokesman Matteo Bruni said on Monday that an X-ray scan in hospital had revealed an inflammation in Francis' lungs that was causing breathing difficulties.
There was no further clarification about what exactly this meant.
Pope Francis on Sunday did not hold the traditional Angelus prayer from the window of the Apostolic Palace as usual, but from his residence in the Vatican, and a priest read out large parts of the address for him. The prayer itself and the blessing were said by Francis, who coughed, and appeared exhausted.
The Vatican initially said on Saturday that the pope had a "mild flu," but on Sunday Francis himself spoke of a "lung inflammation problem."
"The pope's condition is good and stable, he has no fever and his respiratory condition is clearly improving," the Vatican announced on Monday. It also confirmed that the pontiff had been given a cannula tube for an intravenous infusion of antibiotics. Some of Francis' appointments have now been postponed to give him time to recover.
Francis will be 87 years old in December. His health has been troubling him for some time, and he has been hospitalized twice this year. The first of these was for pneumonia, and he later had to undergo open abdominal surgery under general anaesthetic.
