Pope Francis has said that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who in 2013 became the first pontiff to resign in six centuries, is 'very ill' and urged people to pray for him
The head of the Catholic Church paid a visit to his 95-year-old predecessor at his home in a former convent inside the Vatican.
"In the last few hours there has been a deterioration due to advancing age. The situation at the moment remains under control, monitored continually by doctors," Bruni said at 1030 GMT.Benedict had cited his declining physical and mental health back in 2013 in his decision to become the first pope since 1415 to stand down as head of the worldwide Catholic church.
In 2018, in a letter sent to Italy's Corriere della Sera daily, Benedict described"the slow withering of my physical forces", saying he was"on an interior pilgrimage towards home".The ex-pope, who uses a wheelchair, said"the Lord has taken away my speech in order to let me appreciate silence", Grech told Vatican News.
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