Sri Lanka, March 1 -- Pope Francis, who has been in hospital for just over two weeks fighting double pneumonia, had a peaceful night and is resting, the Vatican said on Saturday.

After days of a cautious optimism, the 88-year-old pontiff suffered a setback on Friday, experiencing an "isolated breathing crisis" that required non-invasive, mechanical ventilation, the Vatican said.

The pope, it said, also had "an episode of vomiting with inhalation and a sudden worsening of the respiratory condition." He needed aspiration to help remove the vomit from his airways, the Vatican added.

His doctors are expected to take 24-48 hours to evaluate how the episode will impact the state of his clinical condition.

"The night passed peacefully, the p...