Pope Francis suffered an isolated coughing fit on Friday that resulted in him inhaling vomit and requiring non-invasive mechanical ventilation, the Vatican said in relaying an alarming setback in his two-week long battle against double pneumonia.

Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, a Vatican official, will preside over the March 5 ceremony and procession that inaugurates the church’s solemn Lenten season leading up to Easter in April.

Pope Francis suffered an isolated coughing fit on Friday that resulted in him inhaling vomit, requiring non-invasive mechanical ventilation, the Vatican said in relaying a setback in his two-week long battle against double pneumonia.

Pope Francis reached the two-week mark in his recovery from pneumonia Friday as doctors suggested he had overcome the most critical phase of the infection but held out on declaring him out of

The pope appeared to have a good day Tuesday, remaining stable during the day and suffering no episodes of respiratory failure or bronchospasm that have slowed his recovery in recent days, an earlier Vatican update said. Francis did not run a fever and remained alert and cooperative, it said.

As millions of Catholics around the world and in Detroit begin the Lenten season, concerns over Pope Francis' health linger.

Pope Francis is awake and resting Thursday after a peaceful night during his third week of hospital treatment for double pneumonia.

The Catholic Church opened the solemn Lenten season leading to Easter on Wednesday without the participation of Pope Francis, who is in the third week of hospital treatment for double pneumonia.

Severe weather didn’t put a damper on the observance of Ash Wednesday, which is especially poignant this year as Pope Francis remains hospitalized in Rome.

Pope Francis will be spending Ash Wednesday in the hospital where he continues to battle double pneumonia. The 88-year-old pontiff has been taken off a non-invasive breathing machine and his condition is said to be stable.