The vicar general of the Diocese of Rome has tested positive for COVID-19, the first known infection among Catholic cardinals.
Cardinal Angelo De Donatis announced the diagnosis on Monday. De Donatis was taken to the hospital in Rome with a fever, although he is now self-quarantining and is reportedly in good condition.
“I feel serene and confident amid this trial,” he said in a Monday statement. “I entrust myself to the Lord and to support from the prayers of all of you, dear faithful of the Church in Rome.”
De Donatis, 66, is in charge of the day-to-day of the diocese in his role as vicar general of the Diocese of Rome. He became vicar general in 2017 and became a cardinal the following year.
“I live this moment as an occasion given to me in Providence so that I can share the sufferings of so many brothers and sisters. I offer my prayers for them, for the whole diocesan community and for the inhabitants of the city of Rome,” the cardinal added in the statement.
Pope Francis on Friday prayed for the coronavirus pandemic to end in a speech delivered before an empty St. Peter’s Square.
A priest living in the same residence as Pope Francis has also tested positive for COVID-19 and was hospitalized. After the news, the pope was reportedly tested a second time for the contagion and was found to be virus-free.
Worldwide there have been 775,000 COVID-19 infections, about 164,000 recoveries, and more than 37,000 deaths, according to the latest reading by the Johns Hopkins University tracker.