Pope Francis’ two closest aides have tested positive for Covid-19, the Vatican announced on Tuesday.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, secretary of state and second-highest in the country’s hierarchy, had mild symptoms, and Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra, third in the hierarchy, had no symptoms, spokesman Matteo Bruni said.
He said both Parolin, a 67-year-old Italian, and Pena Parra, a 61-year-old Venezuelan, were in isolation at their Vatican residences.
The two meet with the pope regularly, but it is unclear when the last meeting with the 85-year-old pontiff was.
The Vatican has required that its employees, who mostly live in Italy, be fully vaccinated.
Italy, which surrounds the tiny, sovereign Vatican City, reported 83,403 cases of Covid-19 on Monday, compared with 149,512 the day before, while the death toll rose from 248 to 287.
Reference: CNN Brasil
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