Pope Francis, 84, was vaccinated against Covid-19 on Wednesday (13), on the first day of the vaccination campaign organized by the Vatican, according to two journalists close to the sovereign pontiff. According to journalists the Argentine daily La Nacion and the American Jesuit magazine America, both Vatican experts and friends of the Pope, Francisco was vaccinated this Wednesday at the entrance to the Paul VI courtroom in Vatican City. Requested, the Holy See has not yet confirmed the information. His spokesman, Matteo Bruni, announced the start of the vaccination campaign for the approximately 5,000 inhabitants and officials of the Vatican. In an interview broadcast on television on Sunday night, Francisco declared that he had already scheduled his vaccination, describing opposition to the vaccine as "suicidal denialism" and highlighting an essential "ethical choice" to protect lives. Francisco canceled all his trips abroad since the pandemic began in March 2020 and questioned the celebration of his visit to Iraq, scheduled for the next 5 to 8 March. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, 93, retired in a monastery inside the Vatican, is also among the first to be vaccinated, according to his private secretary, Archbishop Georg Gänswein.
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