Pope Francis, who has been battling an illness in recent days as the coronavirus outbreak over Italy heightens, has been tested for the ailment.
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As monitored by Ghpage.com Pope Francis has tested negative for coronavirus. He started to have a fever and a sore throat and was swab tested for the virus.
Prior to the test, he had canceled all appointments for a 3 day period last week whilst he recouped.
He was expected to join a week-long Vatican retreat for senior church officials beginning Sunday but he withdrew from that as well.
Perhaps to squelch mounting fear and panic, the Pontiff was tested for the Coronavirus but the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero claims he tested negative.
Unlike previous popes, he chose not to live in its spacious papal apartments and opted for simple quarters in Santa Marta, where he spends the rest of the day mostly working on Church matters.
Pope Francis is missing a part of one lung. It was removed when he was in his early 20s in his native Buenos Aires after he suffered from tuberculosis.
He also suffers some leg pain due to sciatica, for which he undergoes regular physical therapy and which explains his occasional difficulty climbing steps. But he is in generally good health.
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The new coronavirus has spread from China across much of the world, with Italy among the worst affected with more than 2,000 people infected and 52 deaths.
