Pope Francis who is suffering from a cold, has tested negative for the coronavirus, an Italian newspaper, Messaggero reported Tuesday.

Italy is currently battling Europe’s worst outbreak as it has the highest number of infected people on the continent with Milan being the epicenter.

Pope Francis had earlier cancelled a Lent retreat for the first time in his papacy this weekend after cancelling all public meetings at the end of last week over the cold.

The new coronavirus has spread from China across much of the world, with Italy among the worst affected with over 2,000 people infected and 52 deaths.

The 83-year-old pontiff has been seen coughing and blowing his nose, but the Vatican on Sunday quickly shot down speculation that the pope himself had come down with COVID-19.

The Messaggero report did not state when Pope Francis was tested for the disease.