Francis was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on February 14 with bronchitis, but it turned into pneumonia in both lungs, causing widespread alarm.
The pontiff's doctors had told a press conference on Friday there was no imminent risk to his life but that he was "not out of danger".
The Vatican's early morning update Saturday was shorter than usual, without mentioning that he had eaten, saying simply: "Pope Francis rested well."
The Gemelli's Professor Sergio Alfieri told reporters Friday that the pontiff's condition has been slightly improving, allowing doctors to incrementally lower the amount of medication he is taking.
"The question is, is the pope out of danger? No, the pope is not out of danger," Alfieri said.
"If you then ask whether he is in danger of dying at this moment, the answer is still no," he added.
His hospitalisation has cast doubt over Francis's ability to continue as head of the world's almost 1.4 billion Catholics.
But Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin dismissed this as "useless speculation" in an interview published Saturday with Italy's Corriere della Sera daily.
"Now we are thinking about the health of the Holy Father, his recovery, his return to the Vatican: these are the only things that matter," the cardinal said.
Parolin said he personally had not yet been to see the pope, saying he was available but so far there was no need.
"It is better if he remains protected and has as few visitors as possible, to allow him to rest and make the treatment he is undergoing more effective," he added.
AzVision.az
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