Pope Francis: Former Pope Benedict is Very Sick

Pope Francis said on Wednesday that his predecessor Pope Benedict is "very ill" and asked the pilgrims at the Vatican to pray for the health of the 95-year-old former pontiff.

“I want to ask you all for a special prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict who sustains the Church in his silence. He is very sick,” Francis said at the Vatican on Wednesday.

“We ask the Lord to console and sustain him in this witness of love for the Church to the very end.”

Earlier this month Pope Francis revealed he frequently visited his predecessor.

A Vatican spokesman later confirmed that “in the last few hours there has been a deterioration due to the advancement of Benedict’s age.”

“The situation at the moment remains under control and continually monitored by his doctors,” the spokesman, Matteo Bruni, said, adding that Francis visited his predecessor at the Mater Ecclesia monastery in Vatican City after his general audience.

Former Pope Benedict became the first leader of the Catholic Church to stand down in 600 years in 2013.

In 2013, Pope Benedict XVI shocked the world by making the almost unprecedented decision to resign from his position, citing "advanced age."