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Joseph Ratzinger is now much weaker than he was in office.
Pope Francis (86) had asked the faithful to offer “special prayers” for the 95-year-old Benedict. ‘Think of him, he is very ill. “I ask the Lord to comfort and support him in this testimony of love for the Church until the end,” Francis said. Francis and the Holy See initially did not give any further details.
Matteo Bruni, spokesman for the Holy See, said that the Pope’s health had deteriorated in the last few hours. However, he added that the situation is now under control.
Born in Bavaria, Joseph Ratzinger was elected to succeed John Paul II in 2005, becoming the first German pope in nearly 500 years.
Physical weakness
Since his resignation in 2013, he has lived in relative seclusion in a monastery at the Vatican. Prior to his pontificate, Benedict was head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and thus the supreme guardian of Catholic doctrine.
Benedict was recently reported to be physically weak and unable to speak. Mentally, however, he is suited to the situation. At irregular intervals, Benedict also received care from his long-time companion George Conswein and the nuns.
“The situation is very bad”
Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of Munich and Freising, said he was aware of the news of Benedict’s health at the 2023 diocesan launch of the carol singers’ campaign in Bad Dolz in Upper Bavaria. “But for us, we are united in prayer.” He last saw Benedict in September.
“The situation is certainly very serious,” said Benedict’s longtime companion and theologian Wolfgang Beinert. “But that’s not surprising for a man approaching 100.” As of the beginning of the year, he still corresponded with Benedict, the theology professor said. However, he did not respond to her birthday letter in April. (SDA)
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