The Pope has asked to pray for Benedict XVI95 years old, whose health conditions are extremely weakand has pointed out that “he is very sick”.
Francis has thus requested a “special prayer” by the emeritus pope ” who in silence sustains the Church “.
“Is very sick. Let us ask God to comfort him and sustain him in his testimony of love for the Church until the end,” the pontiff said during the general audience this Wednesday.
The pope did not give further details about the condition of Benedict XVI, who He abdicated the position in 2013.being the first pope to do so in 600 years.
The German Joseph Ratzinger, 96, has lived since his abdication in the convent Mater Ecclesiae inside the Vatican City.
The Vatican confirms the worsening of Benedict XVI
Following Francis’ words, the Vatican has confirmed that in recent hours the state of health of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has worsened “due to advancing age”, clarifying that “for the moment the situation remains under control” of the doctors.
“Regarding the health conditions of the pope emeritus, for whom Pope Francis asked for prayer at the end of the general audience this morning, I can confirm that in the last few hours there has been a worsening due to advancing age,” he said. assured the director of the Vatican press office, Matteo Bruni.
His silence of the last months
All those who have visited him in recent months assure that Ratzinger speak with a small voicewho does not walk and looks very fragile, but who is completely lucid.
In other recent photographs he has been seen in a wheelchair through the Vatican gardens sunbathing a bit, which is, according to their closest circle, something common, because the emeritus pope maintains a discipline despite his age. He concelebrates mass at 7:30 a.m. and then listens to music on his sofa, sometimes receiving visitors.
Last August he received the new cardinals who, together with Pope Francis, came to visit him. The last few months have been spent in silence.except at the beginning of the year when he had to deal with the accusations of how he had managed some cases of Priests accused of child abuse when he was Archbishop of Munich and that had arisen in the report drawn up by the German Church on pedophilia.
In a historic public statement, Benedict XVI stated: “I have had a great responsibility in the Catholic Church. All the greater is my pain for the abuses and mistakes that have occurred during the time of my mandate in the respective places”.
Source: Lasexta
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