The world leader of the Roman Catholic church, Pope Francis, has warned that the health of his 95-year-old predecessor, Benedict XVl, continues to deteriorate. The pontiff has called on the faithful to pray for a man who "is very sick".
The Vatican on Wednesday confirmed the health of ex-pontiff Benedict XVI has worsened in the last few hours and he had been visited by Pope Francis.
"I can confirm that 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," spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement.
Earlier, Pope Francis ended his daily general audience by calling for "special prayer for pope emeritus Benedict".
Francis requested the faithful to "remember him, because he is very ill, asking the Lord to console and support him".
In 2013, Benedict became the first pontiff to resign in six centuries, citing declining physical and mental health. He has been seen only rarely in public since, and has been described as increasingly frail.
The German pope emeritus, whose real name is Joseph Ratzinger, has been living a quiet life in a former convent inside the Vatican.
His resignation created an unprecedented situation in which two popes have lived within the walls of the tiny city state.
Earlier this year, Benedict's long-time secretary, Archbishop Georg Gaenswein, told Vatican News the ex-pope was "physically relatively weak and fragile", but "in good spirits".
Papacy bedevilled by child abuse
Benedict was 78 years old when he succeeded the long-reigning and popular John Paul II in April 2005.
His papacy was beset by church infighting and outcry over paedophilia.
He became the first pontiff to apologise for the scandals that emerged around the world, expressing "deep remorse" and meeting with victims in person.
But, while he took steps to tackle clerical child abuse, he was criticised for failing to end church cover-ups.
A report for the German church in January 2022 accused him of personally failing to stop four predatory priests in the 1980s while he served as archbishop of Munich.
Benedict denied any wrongdoing.
Mystical experience provoked resignation
As pontiff he appeared overwhelmed by the challenges facing a church that was losing influence and followers, and years of Vatican turmoil took their toll on his health.
He stepped down in February 2013 in an announcement delivered to cardinals in Latin, later saying that the decision was the result of a mystical experience.
