Rome – Both Pope Francis and Pope Benedict Retired have had the first doses of coronavirus vaccine, the Vatican confirmed on Thursday. The pontiff and his predecessor received the first half of their vaccines as part of a campaign launched Wednesday for residents and employees of Vatican City.
Pope Francis is 84 years old and Pope Emeritus Benedict, 93, so only because of their age do they put them both at high risk of complications from the virus. In addition, at the age of 21, Francis had part of a lung removed due to a recurrent lung infection. He spent months in a hospital, not knowing if he would live or die.
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“I have a certain sense of how people with coronavirus feel as they struggle to breathe with fans,” he said. he wrote recently, recalling its health crisis more than half a century ago.
Francis has been a staunch supporter of COVID-19 vaccines, even considering the refusal of inoculation to be ethically unacceptable.
“He’s playing with his health, with his life, but he’s also playing with the lives of others,” he said in a recent interview with Italian broadcaster Canale 5. He said the “anti-vaxxers” lived in a inexplicable “suicide denial.” . “
The Vatican’s doctrinal office in December said it was “morally acceptable” for Catholics to have a coronavirus vaccine, even if it was developed with cell lines of aborted fetuses.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, however, said that while the three main vaccines (from Pfizer, Moderna and Oxford / AstraZeneca) had a “very remote” connection to the stem cells of aborted fetuses, the AstraZeneca vaccine was “more morally compromised,” and therefore “should be avoided if alternatives are available.”
It is believed that Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict received the Pfizer vaccine. In December, the head of the Vatican’s health service said the small town state would deploy its vaccination program with the Pfizer medication.
Francis has been strong defend a fair and equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines worldwide, especially for those who need it most.
The Vatican’s immunization program includes Vatican City residents, employees, and their families.
Vatican City has had fewer than 30 cases of COVID-19, including some in the same hotel residence where Pope Francis lives. Most cases, however, have been among members of the Swiss guard, who live in communal barracks.