FORMER pope Benedict, who in 2013 became the first pontiff in six centuries to step down, is “very sick”, said his successor Pope Francis on Wednesday (Dec 28).

The Vatican said that the former pope had suffered a sudden “worsening” of his health in recent hours. It also said his condition was “under control”, and that he was receiving constant medical attention.

“I would like to ask all of you for a special prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict, who, in silence, is sustaining the Church,” Pope Francis said in his surprise announcement at the end of his weekly general audience. He also asked the Church to pray for his predecessor.

“Let us remember him. He is very sick, asking the Lord to console and sustain him in this witness of love for the Church, until the end,” he added, speaking in Italian.

Pope Francis, who visited the former pontiff shortly after his general audience, often praised his predecessor, saying it was like having a grandfather in a home.

But the presence of two men dressed in white in the Vatican has at times been troublesome. Conservatives have looked to the former pope as their standard bearer, and some ultra-traditionalists even refused to acknowledge Pope Francis as a legitimate pontiff.

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Until a few weeks ago, those who had seen the former pope said that while his body was very frail, his mind was still sharp.

One of the latest known photographs of him was taken on Dec 1, when he met the winners of the Ratzinger Prize, an award for theologians. He was seated and looked exceptionally weak.

Pope Benedict, the first German pope in a millennium, was elected on Apr 19, 2005, to succeed the widely popular John Paul II, who reigned for 27 years. The cardinals chose him from among their number, seeking continuity and what one called “a safe pair of hands”.

For nearly 25 years prior, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, he was the powerful head of the Vatican’s doctrinal office, then known as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Pope Benedict announced his intention to resign on Feb 11, 2013, shocking a meeting of cardinals. He said he no longer had the physical and mental strength to run the Church.

He formally stepped down on Feb 28 that year, moving temporarily to the papal summer residence, while cardinals from around the world went to Rome, to choose his successor. He has been living in a former convent inside the Vatican gardens with his secretary, Archbishop Georg Ganswein, as well as with a few other aides and medical staff.

Pope Francis, the first pope from Latin America, was elected to succeed him on Mar 13, 2013. REUTERS