Media report pope met COVID-19 infected bishop at Vatican
In this Oct. 20, 2020, file photo, Pope Francis puts on his face mask as he attends an inter-religious ceremony for peace in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, in Rome.[AP/ Gregorio Borgia]
Pope Francis has been warned of potential exposure to COVID-19 after a Vatican diplomat was infected, Australian media reported on Friday.
Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana, the Holy See’s ambassador to Australia, had a face-to-face meeting with Francis at the Vatican on Oct. 6, less than two weeks before testing positive to COVID-19 in Australia, Nine News reported.
Australian authorities say a diplomat who flew into Sydney on Oct. 9 had tested positive to the coronavirus. They won’t reveal the diplomat’s identity.
The diplomat tested positive 10 days after he started quarantining at home in the national capital Canberra, the Australian Capital Territory Health Department said in a statement.
The department said the risk of infection was "low" for the two people who drove the diplomat 300 kilometers (185 miles) from Sydney to Canberra.
Australia’s Health Department said in a statement on Friday "all relevant international state parties have been notified."
The Vatican did not immediately respond to a request for comment.