Pope Francis and his predecessor, former Pope Benedict XVI, have been administered the coronavirus vaccine, the Vatican
said on Thursday, AFP reported. They are the latest high-profile figures to receive the jab.

“I can confirm that, as part of the Vatican City State vaccination
programme to date, the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine has been administered
to Pope Francis and the Pope Emeritus,” spokesman Matteo Bruni said.

It had already been reported that Francis, 84, had received the jab on
Wednesday, the first day of the Vatican’s vaccination drive, but officials refused
to confirm the news.

The Vatican News portal said Benedict, 93, was given a dose on Thursday
morning. The former pontiff, who stepped down in 2013 and now lives in a
converted monastery in the Vatican gardens, is increasingly frail.

In an interview broadcast at the weekend, Francis urged people to get
the vaccine.

“There is a suicidal denial which I cannot explain, but today we
have to get vaccinated,” he told Canale 5.

The pontiff is known for his love of being among his flock, but he
limited his interaction with the public since the virus first swept Italy last
year. He is often seen without a mask.

There were concerns about how he would cope if he became infected, given
both his age and his history of lung problems.

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The pope almost died when he was 21 after developing pleurisy, according
to biographer Austen Ivereigh, which caused him to have part of one of his
lungs removed.

He recalled the incident in a recent book, ‘Let Us Dream’, saying,
“I have some sense of how people with coronavirus feel as they struggle to
breathe on ventilators.”

Media reports suggested Pope Francis received the Pfizer-BioNtech
vaccine, which was authorised for use in the European Union on December 21.