Pope Francis asks for prayers for ‘very ill’ predecessor Pope Benedict XVI
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The Vatican has said former Pope Benedict’s condition remains “serious” but stable, after Pope Francis said the former pontiff is “very ill”.
“The pope emeritus managed to rest well overnight, he is absolutely lucid and conscious, and today, although his condition remains serious, the situation is currently stable,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said.
The Vatican previously said his deteriorating health was due to his “advanced age” and added that Benedict was being constantly monitored by doctors.
Pope Francis said on Wednesday: “I want to ask all of you for a special prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict, who, in silence, sustains the Church. Let us remember him.
“He is very ill, asking the Lord to comfort him and sustain him in this witness of love to the Church, until the end.”
The latest statement did not provide any details about Benedict’s condition, but Francis repeated a call for prayer to “accompany” Benedict “in these difficult hours.”
Benedict, who is 95, became the first pope in about 600 years to resign in 2013. He has lived in the Vatican ever since.
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Vatican: Benedict XVI is lucid and stable, but his condition is “serious”
The Vatican said Thursday that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was lucid, conscious and stable, but that his condition remained serious, a day after officials revealed the 95-year-old’s health had recently deteriorated.
In a statement from Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni, he said that Pope Francis is asking for continued prayers “to accompany him in these difficult hours”.
Read the full story here:
Holly Bancroft December 29, 2022 4:18 pm
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Who is the former Pope Benedict XVI?
Former Pope Benedict, who Pope Francis said Wednesday was “very ill,” resigned in 2013, the first pontiff in 600 years to take that step rather than rule for life.
For nearly 25 years, the former pope, then known as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, was the powerful head of the Vatican’s doctrinal office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF). As a theological conservative, Ratzinger left Germany and his position as archbishop of Munich in 1982 to lead the CDF. His discipline of Latin American priests who promoted Marxist-influenced Liberation Theology earned him the nickname “God’s Rottweiler.”
Despite his reputation as a hardliner, his eight-year papacy was marked by mistakes and scandals. He admitted a “lack of decisiveness in governance and decision-making”.
Read our profile of Pope Benedict by journalist Thomas Kingsley here:
Holly Bancroft December 29, 2022 3:12 pm
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Benedict’s condition is “serious but stable,” the Vatican says
Former Pope Benedict’s condition remains “serious” but stable, the Vatican said, adding in a statement that he had rested well overnight and was lucid and conscious.
“The pope emeritus managed to rest well overnight, he is absolutely lucid and conscious, and today, although his condition remains serious, the situation is currently stable,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said.
“Pope Francis renews his request to pray for him and to accompany him in these difficult hours,” Bruni said of the 95-year-old ex-pontiff.
The statement, the second since Francis revealed on Wednesday that his predecessor was “very ill”, did not provide any details on Benedict’s condition.
Chris Stevenson December 29, 2022 2:00 p.m
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Cardinals pray for Pope Benedict
Cardinals from around the world have joined in praying for Pope Benedict’s health.
Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, urged the faithful to ask for “the grace of the Lord to help sustain Pope Benedict as he has sustained the Church through his silent witness.”
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, asked the “Catholic faithful of the Archdiocese of New York” to join him in prayer.
The Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, prayed that God would “hold and comfort him at this time”.
Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk called on all members of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church to pray for the Pope Emeritus.
He said: “The entire Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church wants to unite in prayer around this great witness of our times, thanking him for his silent witness as Pope Emeritus and at the same time remembering and seeking to put into practice his task for the unity of the Church, which was an extraordinary characteristic of his pontificate”.
Archbishop Shevchuk, who met with Benedict on November 10, said the Pope was “incredibly lucid, informed and solicitous about the situation in Ukraine, and had assured his prayers for the Ukrainian people.”
Holly Bancroft December 29, 2022 1:41 pm
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Former Pope Benedict shared a “great affinity” with the late queen, the cardinal says
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI shared a “great affinity” with the late Queen, the Catholic Archbishop of Westminster said.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols said the 95-year-old former pope’s historic decision to step down due to age in 2013 will remain “an exception”, and he admired the Queen for continuing her royal duties to the end.
His comments came after the Vatican said the former pope’s health has deteriorated due to his age, and doctors are constantly monitoring his condition.
Read the full story here:
Holly Bancroft December 29, 2022 12:45 pm
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An ailing pope’s health prompts questions of “what next?”
The Vatican has detailed rituals and procedures to follow when a pope dies, but has not published such rules for a pope emeritus. As a result, official word on Wednesday that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s health had worsened raised questions about what happens if and when he dies. The answer is: there is no specific answer, at least none that the Vatican has announced in advance. The only thing that is certain is that the most important ritual after the death of a pope – a conclave to choose a new one – does not apply.
Most church watchers assume that, when necessary, Benedict’s funeral rituals will be similar to those of a retired bishop of Rome: a funeral in St. Peter’s Basilica or in the piazza, in this case presided over by Francis in dean’s place of the College of Cardinals, and burial in the grotto below the basilica. “The funeral of an emeritus pope is the funeral of the emeritus bishop of Rome,” said church historian Alberto Melloni, adding that the situation is not entirely unprecedented, as dioceses across the world have resolved how to properly honor retired bishops.
Associated Press29 December 2022 11:53
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Latest images from the Vatican
Journalists and visitors headed to Saint Peter’s Square, in Vatican City, this morning following the news of Pope Benedict’s ill health yesterday. Here are the latest images from the scene:
Journalists are in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City following the news that Pope Benedict is very ill.
(EPA)
People line up to enter St Peter’s Basilica, the day after the announcement of the worsening health of former Pope Benedict
(REUTERS)
(REUTERS)
Holly Bancroft December 29, 2022 10:53 am
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Catholic Archbishop of Westminster on Pope Benedict
The Catholic Archbishop of Westminster has said he believes Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s historic decision to step down due to advanced age in 2013 will remain “an exception”.
Speaking to Times Radio, Cardinal Vincent Nichols also described the “great affinity” between the former pope and the late queen, and his admiration for her royal duties until the end.
On former Pope Benedict’s resignation, he said: “This is the first time in 600 years, so who knows what may develop. I think it will remain an exception.
“I think there was a great affinity between Pope Benedict and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” he added.
“When Benedict decided to come to this country, he decided that the first thing he had to do was visit the Queen. And she was 95 years old, she kept her position until the end and I think she admired that very much.
“It was a measure of his self-understanding and the difficulties he was facing physically that he said no, he needed someone else to do it.”
Holly Bancroft 29 December 2022 09:12
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Welcome to our morning live news coverage of Pope Benedict.
The Vatican confirmed yesterday that the former Pope was very ill and his health was “deteriorating”. We’ll bring you more updates today as we receive them.
(AFP via Getty Images)
Holly Bancroft December 29, 2022 8:45 am
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Thanks for following our live updates on Pope Benedict today. We will now pause our live coverage, but we will bring you breaking news in The Independent as it happens.
In the meantime, here’s the full story on Benedict’s health:
Holly Bancroft December 28, 2022 4:09 pm