Vatican City, Oct 21, 2015 / 05:27 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The director of the Holy See press office has denied reports in the Italian press that Pope Francis is suffering from a brain tumor, and denounced its dissemination as “gravely irresponsible.”

Wednesday's statement by Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., came in response an Oct 21 report by Italian agency Quotidiano Nazionale alleging that the Pope had been diagnosed with a small but curable brain tumor.