By Crispian Balmer

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis, who is being treated in hospital for double pneumonia, will not appear in public on Sunday to lead his usual prayer with pilgrims for a second consecutive week, the Vatican said.

Francis was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on February 14 after experiencing difficulty in breathing for several days.

His medical team has given mixed signals about his health, telling reporters on Friday that while he was not out of danger, he did not have a life-threatening condition at present.

The Vatican issued a brief statement on Saturday to say the pope had "rested well" overnight. However, unlike the previous two days, it made no mention of whether he had got up or had breakfast.

The Holy See press office later said that the text of the Sunday Angelus prayer would be published rather than read out.

It is believed to be the first time he has missed two consecutive Angelus prayers for health reasons. After undergoing intestinal surgery in 2021, he led the Angelus just one week later, and skipped one public Sunday prayer in 2023 after another operation.

The Vatican has not released any photographs of the 88-year-old pope since he was admitted to hospital earlier this month for privacy reasons, his doctors have said.

Double pneumonia is a serious infection that can inflame and scar both lungs, making it difficult to breathe. The Vatican has described the pope's infection as "complex," saying it is being caused by two or more micro-organisms.

"The pope is not out of danger. The situation could go either way," Dr. Sergio Alfieri, a senior member of the Gemelli staff, told reporters on Friday.

Alfieri said there was still a risk that the infection could spread into his bloodstream and develop into sepsis, which, "combined with his respiratory condition and age, could be very difficult to overcome."

Francis, who has been pope since 2013, has suffered bouts of ill health in the past two years. He is particularly prone to lung infections because as a young adult, he developed pleurisy and had part of one lung removed.

Concerns over his health have led at least one cardinal to suggest that he might resign if he felt unable to carry on.

However, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state who is sometimes referred to as the deputy pope, dismissed such talk as "useless speculation."

"Now we are thinking about the Holy Father's health, his recovery, and his return to the Vatican. These are the only things that matter," Parolin told the Corriere della Sera daily.