Today, Pope Francis called for prayers for his predecessor, former Pope Benedict XVI, who he says is very ill. According to Reuters, the pope made a surprise call at the end of his regular general audience, but did not give any details. The Vatican later confirmed that the Pope Emeritus’s health had indeed deteriorated in recent hours, but his condition was stable.
“I would like to ask all of you to offer a special prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict, who quietly supports the Church. Let’s remember him. He is very sick, and we ask the Lord to comfort and support him in this testimony of love for the Church to the end.” Francis said in Italian.
According to the Vatican, the greeting of the Pope Emeritus suddenly worsened in recent hours. His condition is under control and he is receiving constant medical care, Vatican sources cited by Reuters said.
Who is Benedict XVI?
According to experts, unlike his predecessor John Paul II, who broke many taboos in office, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, born Joseph Ratzinger, reputation as a conservative and “keeper of immobility”. But he also became famous for not resisting modern technology and using Facebook or starting his own video channel on YouTube. During his almost eight years at the head of the Catholic Church, several cases have ruined his reputation.
Benedict’s resignation in February 2013 came as a surprise. he became the first head of the Catholic Church to leave office in almost 600 years.. In a statement, he explained that he had come to the conclusion that, due to his advanced age (at 85), he no longer had the strength to perform his duties well.
After leaving the post of head of the Catholic Church, he received the position of honorary bishop of Rome and lives in the monastery of Mater Ecclesiae in the Vatican gardens. In March 2013, the Argentine Jesuit Jorge Mario Bergoglio became head of the Roman Catholic Church, taking the name Francis as Pope. and is a symbol of a less dogmatic and more open form of the church.
In September 2016, Benedict published the book “Last Conversations”, which summarizes his activities as the head of the Catholic Church. He acknowledged that practical government was not his forte, but does not consider his pontificate a failure. At the same time, he noted that due to the large number of paid employees in the Catholic Church in Germany, there is too much “spiritual bureaucracy” and not enough “faith dynamics”.
Source: Blesk