01-11-2021, 08:17 AM
Pope Francis’ personal doctor dies from COVID-19
Fabrizio Soccorsi, the personal doctor of Pope Francis has died from COVID-19 complications.
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Catholic News Agency reported that the 78-year-old physician was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital for a previous health issue on December 26.  While he was dealing with an “oncological pathology,” COVID was the cause of death, the Vatican’s newspaper L’Osservatore Romano reported.
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In August 2015, Pope Francis named him his personal physician after not renewing the term of papal doctor Patrizio Polisca, who was also head of the Vatican’s healthcare services.
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Since the pontificate of St. Pope John Paul II, the two positions had been tied together, but Pope Francis diverged from this custom by choosing Soccorsi, a doctor from outside the Vatican.
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The Pope recently declared it was within Catholic doctrine, and actually an ethical obligation, to receive vaccination against COVID and said he would be receiving his first dose shortly.
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“It is morally acceptable to receive Covid-19 vaccines that have used cell lines from aborted fetuses in their research and production process,” the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said in a statement approved by Francis in December.
Fabrizio Soccorsi, the personal doctor of Pope Francis has died from COVID-19 complications.
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Catholic News Agency reported that the 78-year-old physician was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital for a previous health issue on December 26.  While he was dealing with an “oncological pathology,” COVID was the cause of death, the Vatican’s newspaper L’Osservatore Romano reported.
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In August 2015, Pope Francis named him his personal physician after not renewing the term of papal doctor Patrizio Polisca, who was also head of the Vatican’s healthcare services.
Â
Since the pontificate of St. Pope John Paul II, the two positions had been tied together, but Pope Francis diverged from this custom by choosing Soccorsi, a doctor from outside the Vatican.
Â
The Pope recently declared it was within Catholic doctrine, and actually an ethical obligation, to receive vaccination against COVID and said he would be receiving his first dose shortly.
Â
“It is morally acceptable to receive Covid-19 vaccines that have used cell lines from aborted fetuses in their research and production process,” the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said in a statement approved by Francis in December.