Dec 28, 2022 - World

Former pope Benedict's health is "worsening," Vatican says

Noah Bressner

Pope Francis greets Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI during a meeting at the Vatican in August. Photo: Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images

Pope Francis said Wednesday that his predecessor, 95-year-old Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, is "very sick" and asked his audience to pray for the former pontiff.

Driving the news: The Vatican said in a statement Benedict's condition was "worsening due to advanced age" and that Francis had gone to visit his predecessor.

He is now under the constant supervision of doctors, but the "situation remains under control," Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said.
Benedict now lives in the Mater Ecclesiae monastery on Vatican grounds, where he moved shortly after becoming the first pope to resign in 600 years in 2013.

What's happening: Francis made the remarks at the end of a general audience at the Vatican but didn't discuss the specifics of Benedict's condition.

"I'd like to ask all of you for a special prayer for Emeritus Pope Benedict, who, in silence, is sustaining the church," Francis said, according to a translation from AP. " I remind you that he is very sick."
"Let's ask the Lord to comfort him and sustain him in this testimony of love to the church to the very end."

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Former pope Benedict's health is "worsening," Vatican says

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