The Vatican has also suggested a level of normality and routine as the 88-year-old pontiff continues recovering at Rome's Gemelli Hospital.
"As in recent days, the night passed calmly, and the Pope is now resting," the Vatican said an update on early on Friday.
In their Thursday evening bulletin, doctors said Francis' clinical condition had confirmed that he was improving.
He was alternating the high-flow supplemental oxygen he had been receiving by a nasal tube with a mask in a sign of improved respiratory function.
Additionally, he left his hospital room to go to his nearby private chapel to pray, while continuing with respiratory physiotherapy and work, the Vatican said.
For the second day in a row, doctors avoided saying Francis was in critical condition, suggesting he had overcome the most acute phase of the infection.
But given the complexity of his lung infection, they said "further days of clinical stability are needed" before they revise their prognosis officially and say he is out of danger.
Francis has been at Gemelli Hospital since February 14 after his bronchitis worsened.
He has shown steady, albeit slight improvements since a respiratory crisis and kidney trouble at the weekend sparked fears for his life.
The improvements beat back speculation of an imminent death, resignation or a conclave and signalled that he was still very much in charge.
In Mexico City, a few dozen people gathered on Thursday night at the cathedral to pray for Francis' recovery.
"He is like part of the family," said Araceli Gutierrez, who treasures the time she saw the Pope during his trip to the country of nearly 100 million Catholics in 2016.
"That's why we feel so concerned for him."
Despite his improvements, Francis' near-term calendar is being changed: the Vatican cancelled a Holy Year audience scheduled for Saturday, and it remained to be seen if Francis would skip his Sunday noon blessing for the third week in a row.
Ash Wednesday next week starts the Lenten season leading up to Holy Week and Easter, which falls on April 20.
Beyond that, Francis has events coming up that he presumably would hope to keep if well enough.
On April 27, he is due to canonise Carlo Acutis, considered to be the first millennial and digital-era saint.
Another important appointment is the May 24 commemoration of the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea, Christianity's first ecumenical council.
