Pope Francis is no longer using mechanical ventilation for help breathing at night and his doctors believe he will continue to improve, the Vatican said on Wednesday, in the latest positive update as the 88-year-old pontiff battles pneumonia.

With Pope Francis entering his fourth week in hospital, those working in the Apostolic Palace are grappling with the continuing uncertainty over the pope’s health. The same is true for everyone in the Vatican.

He has not been seen in public since. Francis is pictured from behind, facing the altar in a chapel at the hospital. The side of his face is visible and his right hand rests on his lap. There is no sign he is receiving the supplementary oxygen he has been given throughout his stay.