Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement that he was “able to confirm that within the Vatican City’s vaccine program, to date, the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine has been administered to Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus.”
The statement did not say when 84-year-old Pope Francis or his 93-year-old predecessor were vaccinated. Vatican City began its vaccination program Wednesday at a medical center set up in the main Auditorium Hall, where the Pope often holds his weekly audience. Both men are at higher risk of contracting the virus because of their age.
“I believe that ethically everyone should take the vaccine. It is not an option, it is an ethical choice because you are gambling with your health, with your life, but you are also gambling with the lives of others,” the Pope said. an interview with the broadcast of Canale 5 in Italy on Sunday evening.
“I implore everyone in charge of states, companies, international bodies … to promote cooperation and no competition and seek a solution for all, vaccines for all, especially for the most vulnerable and needy in all regions of the world . ”said the Pope during his traditional Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world) message at the Vatican.
On Saturday, the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano announced that Francis’ personal doctor, Fabrizio Soccorsi, had died of “complications from Covid.”
Francis chose Soccorsi as his personal physician in 2015, the news report said.
Soccorsi, 78, was admitted to Rome on Dec. 26 for a previous oncological illness, according to Italian Bishop’s Conference newspaper Avvenire. It is unclear when he was last in direct contact with Pope Francis.