Is the pope out of danger? No. Both doors are open. Is he at risk of immediate death? No. The therapy needs time to work,” Sergio Alfieri, a surgeon who has operated on the pope in the past, said during a press conference on Friday.

Pope Francis, who is being treated in hospital for double pneumonia, will not appear in public on Sunday to lead his usual prayer with pilgrims for a second consecutive week, the Vatican said.

Updates on Francis’ condition, which was said to be stable on Wednesday, have typically been spare, leaving plenty of room for suspicion and speculation.