The 88-year-old pope remained conscious and alert at all times and cooperated with the maneuvers to help him recover.

Pope Francis suffered an isolated coughing fit on Friday that resulted in him inhaling vomit and requiring non-invasive mechanical ventilation, the Vatican said. Francis, who has spent the past two weeks at Rome's Gemelli hospital,

The development marked a setback in what had been two successive days of increasingly upbeat reports from doctors treating Francis.