Pope Francis spent another night without incident, the Vatican said on Friday, marking a week in the hospital for the 88-year-old pontiff suffering from pneumonia in both lungs.

"The night went well, this morning Pope Francis got up and had breakfast," the Vatican said in a regular morning update.

It was the latest in a series of incrementally positive updates in recent days from the Vatican, which has regularly been publishing information -- however modest -- about the Argentine pope's state of health.

Francis was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital last Friday with bronchitis, but it later developed into pneumonia in both lungs, sparking widespread alarm.

But the Vatican said Thursday he continued to not have a fever and his "hemodynamic (blood flow) parameters continue to be stable".

Vatican sources have said the pope continues to keep up with his correspondence and has been working with his collaborators.

Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, the head of Italy's bishops conference, expressed confidence on Thursday that the pope was "on the right path".

"The fact that the pope had breakfast, read the newspapers, received people, means that we are on the right path to a full recovery, which we hope will happen soon," Zuppi said. (AFP)