Pope Francis on Dec. 28 asked for prayers for retired Pope Benedict XVI, saying he is “very sick.”
The pope’s request came during his weekly general audience, where he added that the 95-year-old supports the church “in silence.”
Francis went on to “ask the Lord to console him and support him in this testimony of love for the church until the end.”
Benedict XVI was elected pope on April 19, 2005 until he resigned on February 28, 2013, becoming the first pope to voluntarily abdicate the papacy in over 700 years. Since then, he has lived in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery inside the Vatican, where he has been largely withdrawn from public life.
The Vatican has yet to offer further comment on the retired pope’s condition.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.