Pope Francis said on Wednesday that his 95-year-old predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is “very ill” and asked for “special prayers” for him.
The Holy See press office director confirmed there has been an aggravation in his condition but said the situation is stable.
Pope said, “May the Lord sustain him in this witness of love for the Church until the end”.
In 2013, Pope Benedict XVI made an almost unprecedented decision to resign from his position, citing his advanced age.
Benedict was the first pope to decide to step down – rather than pass on his mantle after death – in nearly 600 years. In 2020, the Vatican said Benedict had suffered from a “painful but not serious condition” following German press reports that he was sick.
Answering questions put to him by journalists, the director of the Vatican Press Office, Matteo Bruni confirmed that “In the last few hours there has been an aggravation of his health due to advancing age.”
He added that the situation “at the moment remains under control,” and that Pope Emeritus is constantly monitored by doctors.
Bruni also said that after the General Audience in the Paul VI Hall, Pope Francis went to the Mater Ecclesiae monastery in the Vatican where Benedict XVI resides.
“We join him in prayer for the Pope Emeritus,” Bruni said.
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