Catholic Pope Francis and his predecessor Pope Benedict have received their first doses of COVID -19 vaccines, the Vatican announced on Thursday.
Pope Francis, 84, had part of his lung removed due to an illness in his 20s, so he would be a high-risk patient if he were to contract the virus, while retired Pope Benedict XVI, 93, also lives within the small city-state that is surrounded by Rome.
The Vatican began its vaccination programme on Wednesday.
