Ex-pope Benedict 'very sick' Francis reveals as he calls for prayers for predecessor
28 December 2022, 10:52
The former Pope Benedict is “very sick”, Pope Francis has revealed as he called for prayers for his predecessor.
The 95-year-old pope emeritus stepped down in 2013 after saying he was too old to properly carry out his duties as the head of the Catholic Church.
He has continued to live in the Vatican after becoming the first pope to resign for six centuries.
"I would like to ask all of you for a special prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict, who, in silence, is sustaining the Church," Francis said at the end of his general audience.
"Let us remember him. He is very sick, asking the Lord to console and sustain him in this witness of love for the Church, until the end."
He did not elaborate on Benedict’s condition.
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Francis’s call came after he said the “senseless” war in Ukraine should be brought to a halt, and that the homeless, immigrants, refugees and poor people should be looked after by the rest of society.
Benedict, an often controversial pope, has drawn some controversy in retirement because he did not go back to using his pre-papal name, Joseph Ratzinger, and has continued to wear papal clothing.
When he stepped down as pope, he said: "After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry."
