Pope urges people to get the covid-19 vaccine.

Pope Francis says he will soon receive a vaccine against covid-19, describing it as an 'ethical duty' for everyone.

The pontiff, speaking in a television interview scheduled on Italian channel TG5 tonight at 20.40, said the Vatican will begin its vaccination programme next week.

Urging people to get vaccinated against covid-19, the 84-year-old pontiff said: "I made an appointment, we must do it."

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"I believe that ethically everyone must take the vaccine" - said the pope - "it is an ethical duty, because you risk your health, your life, but you also play with the lives of others."

Pope Francis described opposition to the coronavirus vaccine as a "suicidal denial that I cannot explain."

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The pope's forthcoming interview comes as the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano announced the death of the pontiff's personal doctor.

Fabrizio Soccorsi, aged 78, was being treated for an "oncological pathology" at the Gemelli hospital in Rome but died following complications due to covid-19.

Pope Francis had chosen Soccorsi as his personal doctor in 2015.

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