Retired Pope Benedict XVI 'Very Ill,' Health Condition Worsening Due to Old Age

Today, Pope Francis requested prayers for his predecessor, the former Pope Benedict XVI, who he described as being "very sick."

Pope Francis made the unexpected plea at the closing of his weekly audience without providing any other information, while a Vatican statement afterward said Benedict had suffered a sudden "worsening" of his health.

Pope Benedict XVI Health

According to Vatican insiders quoted by the Italian news agency ANSA, Pope Benedict XVI started having breathing issues right before Christmas.

From April 2005 until his resignation in February 2013, Benedict, 95, presided as the head of the Church and the ruler of the Vatican City State. He was the first pope to step down in 600 years, and he identified aging as a major reason for his inability to perform his papal duties.

Prior to his election as the first South American pope, Francis praised his predecessor's choice to stand aside due to old age. It was his decision to do so that made way for Francis' election, as per Daily Mail.

The current Pope admitted earlier this month that he, too, filed a letter of resignation shortly after being elected in 2013; this resignation would take effect if sickness prevented him from performing his responsibilities.

The letter was given to Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who was the Vatican City State's secretary at the time, according to Francis, who turned 86 this year. Per USA Today, Pope Benedict XVI took over a church that was under intense and rising criticism due to the decades-long cover-up of sexual abuse by clergy and volunteers.

During his tenure as pope, some dioceses were compelled to merge or dissolve because of the enormous financial settlements made to the victims and their families.

Benedict, a conservative and authority on Catholic theology, took many actions to bring the church back to its more traditional customs and doctrines. However, he also infuriated a lot of American Catholics who had hoped for a liberalization of the church's position on women.

Additionally, Benedict said things that some Muslims and Jews found offensive. He traveled to Turkey in 2006 and said a historic prayer in a mosque there.

Four months ago, Francis also paid Benedict a visit to the monastery. The new "princes of the church" followed Francis to the monastery for a quick meeting at the time because it was the occasion of his most recent ceremony conferring cardinal status to churchmen.

When the picture was taken, the Vatican made it public. It showed a very thin-looking Benedict holding Francis' hand and grinning at him.

Who is Pope Benedict XVI?

In his early years of retirement, Benedict attended a few ceremonies in St. Peter's Basilica to elevate cardinals. However, he had lost his ability to attend the lengthy service in recent years.

According to The Independent, Joseph Alois Ratzinger, the first name of Pope Benedict XVI, was born in Germany. His mother was a hotel chef, while his father was a police officer from low Bavarian beginnings.

Hitler came to power in 1933 when young Ratzinger was six years old. His father, Joseph, was a devout Catholic who opposed the Nazis. Although he has stated that he never engaged in battle or fired a shot, he was recruited into the army as a youngster.

Early on, he had the urge to become a priest, and after the war, he completed his study at a seminary. After receiving his priestly ordination in June 1951, he started a lengthy academic career by teaching theology at many German institutions.