COVID-19 | VACCINE | POPE

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis has called opposition to the coronavirus vaccine "suicidal denial" urging people to get the jab and saying he would get vaccinated himself next week.

"Next week, we will start to do it here (in the Vatican) and I made an appointment, we must do it," he told Canale 5 in segments released on Saturday from an interview set to be broadcast the next day.

"There is a suicidal denial which I cannot explain, but today we have to get vaccinated," the pontiff said.