VATICAN CITY: Former pope Benedict, a hero to conservative Catholics and who in 2013 became the first pontiff in 600 years to step down, is "very sick", his successor Pope Francis said on Wednesday, asking Church members to pray for him. Bishops from Europe, the United States and beyond, urged the faithful to keep Benedict in their thoughts, after the Vatican followed Francis' announcement with a statement saying Benedict had suffered a sudden "worsening" of his health. "I would like to ask all of you for a special prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict, who, in silence, is sustaining the Church," Francis said in Wednesday's surprise announcement made at the end of his weekly general audience.

"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," Francis said, speaking in Italian.

Published in The Daily National Courier, December, 29 2022

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