Fabrizio Soccorsi, personal doctor to the Catholic pontif , His Holiness Pope Francis, died at the age of 78-year old after battling complications from COVID-19.

He died at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome, L’Osservatore Romano while receiving treatment for “oncological pathology” at the hospital.

Soccorsi was appointed as personal doctor to Pope Francis in August 2015.

He had traveled with the pope on his international trips. During his visit to Fatima, Portugal in May 2017, Pope Francis laid two bunches of white roses before the statue of the Virgin Mary for Soccorsi’s daughter, who was critically ill, and died the following month.

Soccorsi trained in medicine and surgery at Rome’s La Sapienza University. His career included both medical practice and teaching, especially in the areas of hepatology, the digestive system, and immunology.