Will the health scare force Pope Francis to step down from the papacy? Experts say...

As Pope Francis' continues to recover from hospitalisation due to a respiratory crisis during his battle with double pneumonia, speculations about his potential resignation have emerged.

If Pope Francis, 88, decides to step down, he will be second only to his predecessor, Benedict XVI, the first pope to resign in 600 years.

Would Pope Francis resign?

Experts consider Pope Francis' resignation unlikely unless he faces a long-term debilitating condition that impedes his duties.

Talking to CNN, papal biographer Austen Ivereigh said he thinks the only circumstances under which the pope would consider resignation, as he has said, would be if he had a long-term degenerative or debilitating condition which prevented him from fully carrying out the papal ministry.

“Being an elderly or frail pope is not an impediment, nor would the Catholic Church want a precedent to be set that when a pope reaches a certain age or degree of ill health, he must step down,” Ivereigh told CNN.

The biographer also explained that Pope Francis is “all in and full on” and would not want a dramatically pared-down papacy.

In the past, Francis said that the papacy was “ad vitam” (meaning “for life” in Latin) and that resignation was not on his agenda. Nevertheless, he has never ruled out resigning and said Benedict’s decision on 11 February 2013 had “opened the door” to future popes retiring.

Why is resigning the papacy a big deal?

Resigning the papacy is not like stepping down from being the president of a company or CEO of a large corporation. There are no term limits, no board, and it is considered a job for life.

For Catholics, the pope is St. Peter’s successor, carrying out a ministry given by Christ himself. Yet the papacy is also an office, and advances in modern medicine and life expectancy have presented a new scenario.

Pope Francis' health update

The Vatican said Francis had no further episodes of bronchial spasms like the one he suffered Friday, in which he inhaled vomit during a coughing fit. He had no fever and no signs of new infection, was feeding himself solid food and coffee for breakfast, and continued his respiratory physiotherapy, it added.

The pope had a “good response” in his gas exchange levels even during the “long periods” he was off the ventilator mask and only using high-flow supplemental oxygen. But his prognosis remained guarded, meaning he wasn't out of danger.

“The Holy Father is always vigilant” and aware of what’s going on around him, the statement said.

(With agency inputs)