Pope Francis has requested a prayer this morning for the emeritus pontiff, Benedict XVI, during the Wednesday audience, which has raised concerns about his health.
"I would like to ask all of you for a special prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who is supporting the Church in silence: remember him, he is very sick, we ask the Lord to console him and support him in this testimony of love for the Church until the end. ”, pointed out the Pontiff.
Joseph Ratzinger, 96, of Germany, resigned from the pontificate in February 2013 and has lived in the Mater Ecclesiae convent inside Vatican City ever since.
His health conditions have remained stable in recent months, but his fragility and his advanced age suggest that Francisco's words are based on a worsening of his condition.
The last official appearance of
Benedict XVI was last August 27, when the Pope went to his residence to introduce him to the new cardinals, which he had just created in a great consistory.
The step to the side that Ratzigner carried out in 2013 was a historical event in the Church for which there was no protocol or laws to regulate it.
But the coexistence between the two popes, since the step aside, has been very good.
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