Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual head of the world’s 300 million Orthodox Christians, has tested positive for COVID-19, the Patriarchate’s press office announced over the weekend.
In a statement, the press office said 81-year-old Patriarch Bartholomew was fully vaccinated against the disease and only experiencing mild symptoms.
Bartholomew, who was recently hospitalized during an official visit to the United States, has been a big proponent of vaccinations and has used his platform to encourage his faithful to get vaccinated.
According to the press office’s statement, which was released on Christmas Eve, immediately after testing positive, Bartholomew went to the hospital for further examinations.
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