Pope tests negative for coronavirus: report

Pope Francis has tested negative for coronavirus after canceling a retreat due to a cold, according to an Italian media report.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told Reuters that he had no comment on the report in the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero.

Francis was scheduled to take part in a weeklong retreat with Vatican officials in the Roman countryside. He announced Sunday that he would miss the Lenten retreat for the first time in his papacy. 

The 83-year-old pope also canceled most audiences last week as he recovered from a cold, Reuters reported, noting that he had part of a lung removed decades ago due to an illness.

Italy is currently battling an outbreak of the coronavirus. Fifty-two people have died from the virus as of Monday, and more than 2,000 cases have been confirmed in the country. 

The coronavirus has infected more than 90,000 people and killed more than 3,000 people around the world. Most of the cases of the virus are still in China, where the outbreak began last year.