Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said Pope Francis, who asked the faithful earlier Wednesday to pray for Benedict, went to visit his predecessor in the monastery on Vatican grounds where the retired pontiff has lived since retiring in February 2013.
The Vatican says the health of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has undergone a"worsening in the last hours” due to his age and that doctors are constantly monitoring the 95-year-old’s condition.
Benedict was the first pontiff to resign in 600 years. on Wednesday said his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, is “very sick," and he asked the faithful to pray for the retired pontiff so God will comfort him “to the very end.”Get New England news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox.Benedict, 95, has become increasingly frail in recent years as he dedicates his post-papacy life to prayer and meditation.
“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 in remarks near the end of an hour-long audience. ”I remind you that he is very sick," Francis said. "Let's ask the Lord to comfort him and sustain him in this testimony of love to the church to the very end,'' Francis said.
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