Reportedly, a total of 67 Italian Catholic priests have succumbed to the novel coronavirus.
The Avvenire newspaper disclosed this data on Wednesday, noting that the youngest among those listed by the Catholic Church-affiliated paper was 53 years old.
“Priests succumb to illness just like everyone else, perhaps even more so,” remarked the Avvenire.
The newspaper highlighted that 22 of the deceased priests were from the Bergamo diocese, at the epicenter of the outbreak near the financial hub Milan.
Pope Francis urged priests “to have the courage to go out and see the sick” as the pandemic gained momentum across the country on March 10.