Rome
CNN
—
Pope Francis on Wednesday said his predecessor, Pope Benedict, was “very ill” and called for prayers for the 95-year-old former pope.
“I would like to ask for a special prayer for Pope Benedict, who is supporting the Church in silence. He is very ill,” Francis said at a general audience at the Vatican on Wednesday.
“I ask the Lord to comfort and support him to the end in this testimony of love to the church.”
In 2013, Pope Benedict XVI shocked the world with his unprecedented decision to resign due to “old age”.
Benedict’s announcement marked the first time a Pope has resigned in nearly 600 years. The last pope to resign before his death was Gregory XII, who resigned in his 1415, ending a civil war within the Catholic Church in which multiple men claimed to be pope.
In 2020, the Vatican said Benedict was suffering from a “painful but not serious condition” following German media reports that he was ill.
Two years ago, in a rare public letter published in the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Benedict wrote:
Benedict’s legacy has been clouded by recent scrutiny of his time as Archbishop of Munich and Freising from 1977 to 1982.
According to the report, he had received four reports of sexual abuse involving minors, including two while in Munich, but took no action.
Benedict later refuted these allegations, admitting to attending the meeting but denying that he intentionally concealed his presence.
