Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Vatican No.
• Read also: Covid: Bob defends vaccines and attacks ‘baseless information’
• Read also: Pope laments pets ‘sometimes replace children’
Press room director Matteo Bruni told reporters that Bishop Parolin, 67, “has tested positive for COVID, but with mild symptoms, and is currently in solitary confinement.”
He added that Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, Venezuela’s alternate Archbishop of the State Secretariat, had tested positive and had no symptoms. Both are vaccinated against the virus.
Pope Francis, 85, who has been vaccinated, often meets Bishop Parolin on his right arm, a good connoisseur of diplomatic files.
The Argentine Pope is a staunch advocate of vaccination, but he regularly appears without a mask during public ceremonies and does not hesitate to contact believers or his interlocutors and shake hands.
Since January 10, it has been mandatory to wear an FFP2 mask for all Vatican employees, and a vaccination card will be required from January 31.