Vatican says pope only has a cold, symptoms not related 'to other pathologies'

FILE PHOTO: Pope Francis coughs as he leads the weekly Angelus prayer in St Peter's Square at the Vatican, March 1, 2020. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis, who cancelled a Lent retreat for the first time in his papacy, is suffering only from a cold that is "without symptoms related to other pathologies," the Vatican said on Tuesday.

A statement followed a report in an Italian newspaper that said the pope had tested negative for coronavirus. It did not say whether the pope had been given a test for the virus.