Wednesday morning during a meeting with the faithful francis he asked for a special prayer for the senior pope, who is currently gravely ill and in need of consolation and support.

– I would like to ask you all to pray in a special way for retired Pope Benedict, who silently supports church. Let’s remember him. He is seriously ill, I ask the Lord for consolation and support in this testimony of love for the Church until the end,” Francis said in Italian.

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Office manager Matteo Bruni said Benedict’s health had deteriorated over the past few hours, mainly due to his advanced age. He added that the situation is now under control and that the pope emeritus is under the care of doctors.

Bruni also reported that after the end of the general audience Pope Francis went to the old monastery of Mater Ecclesiae on the scene The Vaticanwhere Benedict XVI lives.

German Archbishop on the health of Benedict XVI: We are united in prayer

Archbishop of Munich and Freising Reinhard Marx has been asked to react to today’s information. The German priest emphasized the bond of prayer. “When the Holy Father Francis tells us that we must unite in prayer, we do so today especially with young Christians,” Marx said in Bad Tölz, Upper Bavaria.

Benedict XVI’s longtime companion, theologian Wolfgang Beinert, said the situation was certainly very serious, but “for a man approaching 100, it’s not surprising.”

Beinert added that at the beginning of the year he still had correspondence with Benoît, who, however, did not respond to the letter on the occasion of his birthday (April 16).

German Deputy Spokesperson government Christiane Hoffmann said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz thinks of Benedict XVI and wishes him a speedy recovery.