Cardinal Tagle tests positive for COVID-19

Philippine Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and president of Caritas Internationalis, has tested positive for COVID-19, the Vatican confirmed.

In a statement Sept. 11, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the result was discovered after Cardinal Tagle, 63, was administered a swab test upon his arrival in Manila Sept. 10.

"His Eminence does not exhibit any symptoms and will remain in self-isolation in the Philippines, where he is located," Bruni said.

He also confirmed that Cardinal Tagle had previously tested negative for the coronavirus after he had "undergone a swab in Rome" Sept. 7. The cardinal last met privately with Pope Francis Aug. 29.

Bruni also said the Vatican is verifying the condition of those who were in contact with the cardinal in recent days.

As of Sept. 11, there were nearly 253,000 coronavirus cases in the Philippines and an estimated 4,108 have died, according to Worldometer, a statistical site monitoring the pandemic.

The news of a Vatican official testing positive for the coronavirus comes at a time when the Vatican is slowly opening its doors to the public. The pope held his first public general audience Sept. 2, six months after lockdown measures were enforced to prevent the spread of COVID-19.