Pope Francis, who canceled a spiritual engagement outside Rome last week due to illness, was tested and found to be negative in the new coronavirus, the Italian daily Messagero reports.
Spokesman of the Holy See Matteo Bruni did not respond to AFP requests this morning to confirm the Italian newspaper’s story.
Pope Francis announced on Sunday that due to his cold, he would not participate in his annual Lenten retreat with the Roman Curia in the small town of Ariccia, south of Rome, this week, as he usually does during the Great Lent.
The 83-year-old Pontiff made this surprising announcement in front of the thousands of people who had gathered in St. Peter’s Square. In fact, while addressing the faithful, the Pope was forced to interrupt his speech twice because of a cough.
Source: ANA-MPA