The Vatican said Pope Francis was in a "good and stable" condition on Monday after he showed signs of serious ill health as he held a traditional Angelus prayer remotely instead of in St Peter's Square over the weekend. 

"The pope's condition is good and stable, he does not have a fever and his respiratory condition is decidedly improving," Vatican Spokesman Matteo Bruni said. 

The 86-year-old leader of the Catholic Church underwent a CT scan on Sunday that excluded pneumonia but detected inflammation in his lungs.

He was "receiving antibiotic therapy intravenously," and would limit his activities over the next few days. 

Francis was due to travel to Dubai on Friday for the UN climate conference COP28.

Exhausted and out of breath

The 86-year-old church leader appeared via video link from the chapel of the Vatican guesthouse Santa Marta, his residence on Sunday. 

"Today I cannot stand at the window because I have this problem of inflammation in my lungs," said the head of the Catholic Church in a hoarse voice.

He also had the prayer read out by a priest but did give the blessing at the end of the prayer himself.

At several points during the seated performance, the pope appeared exhausted, was audibly short of breath and twice coughed heavily.

He had a band-aid and what looked like a cannula, or thin tube doctors use for intravenous medications, in his right hand.

From 'mild flu' to inflammation

On Saturday, the Vatican surprisingly announced that Francis had to cancel all appointments due to illness. The reason given was a "mild flu."

It was later announced that Francis had undergone a computerized tomography (CT) scan in a hospital in Rome to rule out lung complications.

He later returned to the Vatican as the results were negative.

The pope has been treated twice in hospital this year, first for pneumonia and later he had open abdominal surgery for a hernia under general anesthetic, spending nine days in hospital.

One part of one of the pope's lungs was removed when Francis was a young man in his native Argentina.

lo, mm/dj,fb (AFP, dpa, KNA, EFE)