Two of Pope Francis’ Closest Aides Test Positive for COVID

Two of Pope Francis’ closest aides have tested positive for COVID-19, The New York Times reported Tuesday. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and his deputy, Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, have both isolated themselves in their Vatican apartments, according to a Vatican spokesman. Parolin, 67, has experienced minor symptoms while Parra, 61, did not have any. It was not clear when the two last saw the pope, who meets with them both regularly. Francis has repeatedly called for mass vaccinations as COVID rates rise both in the Vatican and globally, calling them an “ethical choice” and said those who consistently spurned a shot suffered from “a suicidal denial that I wouldn’t know how to explain.” Still, Francis has repeatedly left the Vatican without a mask, including to pop into a local record store recently.