Pope Francis has said that the Vatican will initiate Covid-19 vaccinations from next week and that he is in line to receive a vaccine dose.
The pontiff made the comments during an interview with a channel in Italy set to air on Sunday night, reported CNN.
"It is an ethical duty to take the vaccine, here in the Vatican we will start next week, I am also in line to take it," he said, according to a news anchor for the channel in a preview of the interview, which was released Saturday.
In December, the Vatican deemed that it was morally acceptable to be vaccinated against Covid-19 after some anti-abortion groups raised concerns about how the vaccines were manufactured, CNN reported.
"It is morally acceptable to receive Covid-19 vaccines that have used cell lines from aborted fetuses in their research and production process," the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said in a note approved by Francis.
Earlier, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, have received COVID-19 vaccinations, Buckingham Palace said on Saturday.
( With inputs from ANI )
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