Has the Pope been vaccinated against Covid?
POPE Francis and six Catholic cardinals and archbishops made a public service announcement urging people to get vaccinated for Covid-19.
The Pope's PSA comes as the Vatican has been clear that Covid-19 vaccines are morally good and acceptable for Catholics to take.
Has the Pope been vaccinated against Covid?
On January 14, 2021, Pope Francis received his first dose of the Pfizer Covid vaccine, the Vatican has announced.
The 84-year-old pontiff was among the first of the Vatican’s 450 residents to get the jab as the nation-state began its vaccine rollout.
Pope Francis, who only has one lung after the other was removed due to an infection as a teenager in Argentina, has called on Catholics to follow his lead, calling it an “ethical duty”.
The Pope has since been fully vaccinated, receiving his second dose of Covid vaccine on February 4, 2021.
At the time, Francis said it was an 'ethical duty' for everyone to have the vaccine, to protect their own health and the health of others.
“It must be done,” he urged his followers during an interview with TV station Canale 5.
“I believe that ethically everyone should take the vaccine. It is an ethical choice because you are gambling with your health, with your life, but you are also gambling with the lives of others," the Pope added.
What did Pope Francis say about the Covid-19 vaccination?
On August 17, in a PSA video, Pope Francis said getting the vaccine is "an act of love".
"Thanks to God's grace and the work of many, we now have vaccines to protect us from Covid-19," the Pope said in the video, seated at a desk in the Vatican and wearing a white cassock and skull cap.
"Getting vaccinated is a simple yet profound way to care for one another, especially the most vulnerable. I pray to God that each of us can make his or her own small gesture of love."
The three-minute PSA also features Archbishop José Horacio Gómez Velasco of Los Angeles, Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes of Mexico City, Cardinal Óscar Rodríguez Maradiaga of Honduras, Cardinal Cláudio Hummes of Brazil, Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chávez of El Salvador and Archbishop Héctor Miguel Cabrejos Vidarte of Peru.
"The terrible coronavirus epidemic has caused illness, death and suffering across the entire world," Valesco said.
"May God grant us the grace to face it with the strength of faith, ensuring that vaccines are available for all so we can all get immunized."
The PSA was a collaboration between the Pope and Ad Council, a nonprofit group.
Joining the Ad Council campaign allows Pope Francis' message to reach an even wider audience.
The Ad Council said it would run the ad on Telemundo, Universo, WarnerMedia platforms and media in Spanish-speaking countries.
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