Pope Francis, who last week had postponed his official appointments to work from after due to a ‘mild ailment’, has tested negative for coronavirus.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said he had no immediate comment on the report. The 83-year-old Roman Catholic leader, who had part of one lung removed because of an illness decades ago, also canceled most public appearance last week.
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Pope Francis was to have taken part in the week-long retreat with senior Vatican officials that began on Sunday night at a Church residence south of Rome. But in a surprise announcement hours earlier, he said he would be following it from his residence in a Vatican guest house.
He has been taken ill at a time when Italy is battling a surging outbreak of the potentially deadly coronavirus.
The death toll in Italy had spiked to 52 on February 2 from 34 the day before and the total number of confirmed cases in Europe’s worst affected country climbed past the 2,000 mark.
