The Vatican says the ex-Pope's condition has worsened and Pope Francis asks pilgrims to pray.
Pope Francis has kept in regular contact with Benedict since his resignation as pontiff in 2013
Pope Francis has said former Pope Benedict XVI is very ill and he has asked pilgrims at the Vatican to pray for him.At the end of the Pope's final audience of the year, he asked people to "pray a special prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict"."The situation at the moment remains under control, constantly followed by doctors," said spokesman Matteo Bruni.
Pope Francis was addressing a general audience in the Vatican's Paul VI hall when he looked up from a piece of paper and spoke about Benedict's declining health. He then went to visit him at the Mater Ecclesiae monastery, where Benedict has lived since he stepped down.Speaking of Benedict as a "saint" and a man of high spiritual life, he said"He speaks softly but follows your conversation," he told Spanish newspaper ABC.
Benedict XVI was 85 when in February 2013 he surprised Catholics around the world with his decision to step down, less than eight years after he had been elected Pope as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.
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