Wednesday afternoon, December 28, local time in Rome, the Vatican said, the health of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is increasing. deteriorated due to his age, and doctors are constantly monitoring the condition of the 95-year-old retired Pope.
Matteo Bruni, Director of the Holy See Press Office, said Pope Francis, has asked the faithful to pray for Benedict, and has visited his predecessor at the convent of the Mother Church on the Vatican grounds. , where the pope emeritus has lived since retiring in February 2013.
Matteo Bruni, said: “Regarding the health of the pope emeritus, for which Pope Francis asked to pray at the end of his general audience this morning, I can confirm that in the past hours, the condition has been deterioration due to advanced age has occurred,” Bruni said in a written statement to reporters.
He emphasized that:
“The situation at this time remains under control, and the Pope Emeritus is constantly monitored by the doctors.”
At the end of the general audience on Wednesday, December 28, Pope Francis said: added alongside his prepared remarks that Benedict was "sick" and asked the faithful to pray for the retired pope.
Francis did not elaborate on Benedict's condition. “I would like to ask all of you a special prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict, who is silently supporting the Church,” he said in remarks near the end of a lengthy audience, he said. one hour: “I remind you that he is seriously ill,”
continued Pope Francis: “Let us ask the Lord to comfort and sustain him in this witness of love for the Church to the end.”
After an hour-long audience, “Pope Francis went to the convent of the Mother Church to visit Benedict XVI. Let us all unite with him to pray for the pope emeritus,” said Matteo Bruni.
Benedict is the first pope to abdicate in 600 years. He has grown weaker in recent years as he spends the rest of his life in prayer and reflection.
When Benedict turned 95 in April, his longtime secretary, Archbishop Georg Gaenswein, said the retired pope was in good spirits, adding that "physically, he was relatively weak and fragile, but quite lucid.”
Pope Francis visited Benedict at the convent four months ago after the conclave of ordinations of the new Cardinals. Honor cannot go to St. Peter's Basilica to attend the ordination ceremonies.
The Vatican released a photo at the time showing the very thin-looking Benedict holding Francis' hand as they smiled at each other.
During the first years of his retirement, Benedict attended a number of cardinal consecration ceremonies at St. Peter's Basilica. But in recent years, he has been unable to attend long ceremonies.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger. He was born on April 16, 1927. He ruled the Catholic Church from April 19, 2005 until his abdication on February 28, 2013. The election of Pope Benedict took place in secret. Pontifical Council in 2005 after Saint John Paul II was called by God.
Ordained a priest in 1951 in his native Bavaria, Father Ratzinger embarked on an academic career and became a highly regarded theologian in the late 1950s. He was appointed full professor in 1958. at the age of 31. After a long career as a professor of theology at several German universities, he was appointed Archbishop of Munich and Freising and was made a Cardinal by Pope Paul VI in 1977. was an unusual promotion for someone with little pastoral experience. In 1981, he was appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, one of the most important dicasteries of the Roman Curia. From 2002 until his election as pope, he was also the Dean of the College of Cardinals.
According to veteran Vatican journalist Sandro Magister, before becoming Pope, he was “the main figure on the Vatican stage for a quarter of a century”; he was "unparalleled in influence when it comes to setting the priorities and direction of the Church" as one of John Paul II's closest confidants. He has lived in Rome since 1981.
His prolific writings often defend traditional Catholic values and teachings. During his reign of the Church, Pope Benedict XVI advocated a return to basic Christian values to counter the increasing secularization of many Western countries. He considers relativism the denial of objective truth, and especially the denial of moral truth, the central problem of the 21st century.
His teaching focused on the importance of the Catholic Church and an understanding of God's saving love. Benedict also revived a number of traditions, including elevating the Latin Mass to a more prominent place. He strengthened the relationship between the Catholic Church and the arts, promoted the use of Latin and reintroduced the traditional papal vestments, for which reason he was called the "pope of aesthetics." ". He also emphasized the relationship between faith and reason, morality and science. As such, he has been described as “the main intellectual force in the Church” since the mid-1980s.
On February 11, 2013, Pope Benedict unexpectedly announced his abdication in a Latin address to the cardinals, citing "a lack of mental and physical strength" due to advanced age. His abdication took effect on February 28, 2013. He was the first pope to resign since Pope Gregory XII abdicated in 1415. Before Pope Gregory XII, in 1294, Pope Celestin V was the first Pope to abdicate.
He was succeeded by Pope Francis on March 13, 2013, and he moved to the recently restored Mother Church in the Vatican to retire on May 2, 2013. In retirement, Benedict XVI made occasional appearances. appeared in public with Pope Francis.
In addition to his native German, Benedict is fluent in Latin, French, Italian, English and Spanish. He also knew Portuguese, Hebrew, and Biblical Greek. He is a member of several social science academies, such as the French Academy of Moral and Political Sciences. He enjoys playing the piano and enjoys the music of Mozart and Bach.
On September 4, 2020, Pope Benedict XVI became the longest living person ever to hold the pastoral ministry of the whole Church, at the age of 93, 4 months, 16 days, surpassing Pope Leo XIII, who died in 1903 Benedict is also the last living cardinal among the cardinals ordained by Pope Paul VI.
Tags:
catholic