The Vatican says Pope Francis suffered a coughing fit that resulted in him breathing in vomit, requiring noninvasive mechanical ventilation.

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

The Vatican said Friday that Pope Francis is on a breathing machine after suffering a sudden respiratory episode during his hospitalization.

Pope Francis, who is being treated in hospital for double pneumonia, slept well overnight and is resting, the Vatican said in a brief statement on Thursday. The 88-year-old pontiff was spending his 14th day in Rome's Gemelli hospital after coming down with a severe respiratory infection that triggered various complications.

Time-honored rituals, drafted and refined over centuries, allow time for mourning and provide order at a dramatic moment of transition.