Pope Francis’ Personal Physician Dies Of COVID-19

Pope Francis’ personal doctor, Fabrizio Soccorsi, has died from health complications related to COVID-19.

Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano reports that the 78-year-old physician died at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, on Saturday.

Before his death, he was being treated for an “oncological pathology.”

Pope Francis named Soccorsi his personal physician in August 2015, after not renewing the term of papal doctor Patrizio Polisca, who was also head of the Vatican’s healthcare services.

Read also: Pope Francis Set To Receive COVID-19 Vaccine Next Week

Since the pontificate of St. Pope John Paul II, the two positions had been tied together, but Francis diverged from this custom by choosing Soccorsi, a doctor from outside the Vatican.

As Francis’ personal physician, Soccorsi traveled with the pope on his international trips.

Soccorsi trained in medicine and surgery at Rome’s La Sapienza University. His career included both medical practice and teaching, especially in the areas of hepatology, the digestive system, and immunology.

Eko Hot Blog had reported that the Pope was scheduled to receive the COVID-19 vaccine next week after describing refusal to get vaccinated as “suicidal denial”.