Pope Francis (R) blesses a worshipper at the end of his weekly general audience at St Peter's square on October 21, 2015 at the Vatican. The Vatican dismissed an Italian media report that Pope Francis has a treatable brain tumour as "unfounded and seriously irresponsible." Quotidiano Nazionale (QN), the newspaper which made the claim, said it stood by its story that a "small dark spot" had been detected on the 78-year-old pontiff's brain earlier this year. AFP PHOTO / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE