Italian media caused panic, Vatican denies Pope Francis has a tumor

The Vatican on Wednesday strongly denied a report by an Italian newspaper that Pope Francis has a benign brain tumor, reports the Patria news agency.

-Publishing completely unfounded news regarding the health of the Holy Father... is highly irresponsible and does not deserve attention, said spokesman Federico Lombardi. He added that Pope Francis is working as usual.

The Bologna-based newspaper Il Resto del Carlino reported that the 78-year-old Pope Francis discovered a dark spot on his head several months ago and was examined by a Japanese specialist in Pisa. The daily claims that the alleged tumor does not require surgery.

-The denial is understandable and was to be expected, said the newspaper's editor-in-chief Andrea Cangini in response to Lombardi's statement.

-We held back this story for a long time to verify it from all sides. We do not doubt its credibility in the slightest, Cangini claims, writes Index.