Pope Francis reached the two-week mark recovery from pneumonia Friday as doctors suggested he had overcome the most critical phase of the infection while holding out on declaring him out of danger entirely.

Statements from the Vatican show that the pope's health is improving, and doctors are no longer describing him for a second day in a row as being in a critical condition, though they had previously said that he was not out of danger.

The Vatican reported Friday that he experienced sudden breathing problems that required “non-invasive mechanical ventilation” but that he remained “alert.”