Pope Francis suffered an isolated coughing fit on Friday that resulted in him inhaling vomit and requiring non-invasive mechanical ventilation, the Vatican said in relaying an alarming setback in his two-week long battle against double pneumonia.

Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, a Vatican official, will preside over the March 5 ceremony and procession that inaugurates the church’s solemn Lenten season leading up to Easter in April.

Pope Francis suffered an isolated coughing fit on Friday that resulted in him inhaling vomit, requiring non-invasive mechanical ventilation, the Vatican said in relaying a setback in his two-week long battle against double pneumonia.

Pope Francis reached the two-week mark in his recovery from pneumonia Friday as doctors suggested he had overcome the most critical phase of the infection but held out on declaring him out of

Pope Francis will be spending Ash Wednesday in the hospital where he continues to battle double pneumonia. The 88-year-old pontiff has been taken off a non-invasive breathing machine and his condition is said to be stable.

As millions of Catholics around the world and in Detroit begin the Lenten season, concerns over Pope Francis' health linger.

Pope Francis, who has chronic lung disease, has been in the hospital since Feb. 14 for bronchitis. Over the last two weeks, his condition has worsened. People gathered at Juan Diego Catholic High School for Ash Wednesday. One of those people was Miles Sears, a senior at the school, who says he doesn’t consider himself Catholic.

The pope has been sleeping with a non-invasive mechanical mask to guarantee that his lungs expand properly overnight and help his recovery.

Christians will get one last nibble on their paczkis and king cakes as Mardi Gras and the Carnival Season give way to Ash Wednesday this week.

Severe weather didn’t put a damper on the observance of Ash Wednesday, which is especially poignant this year as Pope Francis remains hospitalized in Rome.

The Catholic Church opened the solemn Lenten season leading to Easter on Wednesday without the participation of Pope Francis, who is in the third week of hospital treatment for double pneumonia.