Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State, has tested negative for the deadly coronavirus disease.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said he had no immediate comment on the report. The 83-year-old Roman Catholic leader, who had part of one lung removed because of an illness decades ago, also canceled most audiences last week.
Pope Francis was to have taken part in the week-long retreat with senior Vatican officials that began on Sunday night at a church residence south of Rome.
But in a surprise announcement hours earlier, he said he would be following it from his residence in a Vatican guesthouse.
He has been taken ill at a time when Italy is battling a surging outbreak of the potentially deadly coronavirus.
