Two cardinals who work closely with Pope Francis tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday. The pope’s test came back negative, the Italian news agency ANSA reported today.

The United Nations General Assembly decided unanimously that Feb. 4 be observed each year as the International Day of Human Fraternity, starting in 2021.

Two cardinals who work closely with Pope Francis have contracted Covid-19.

As he enters his 84th year, Pope Francis continues to be an important source of hope and encouragement for countless people in a world where these are in short supply.

Cardinal Parolin, 65, was admitted for surgery for an enlarged prostate, common in men over 50, and it is expected to leave the hospital in a few days.

Vatican sources acknowledge the visit, which Pope Francis has long hoped for, is “risky” under current conditions.

Cardinal Fitzgerald noted that Francis took inspiration for the encyclical not only from St. Francis of Assisi but also from the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Ahmad Al-Tayyeb.

“The church is in the middle of a seismic change as it moves to a more synodal and discerning approach under the leadership of Pope Francis.”

China has gained international prestige because of its relations with the Vatican. The Holy See should now seek to obtain more concrete results from its deal with Beijing.

Vatican authorities, the U.S. bishops conference and the apostolic nuncio heard scattered allegations about misconduct by McCarrick but discounted them because their sources were considered unreliable.