Ex-pope Benedict XVI's condition remains stable, the Vatican said Friday, as Catholics prayed for the 95-year old former pontiff whose health has seriously deteriorated.
December 31, 2022 2:15am
The German, who in 2013 was the first pope since the Middle Ages to resign as head of the worldwide Catholic Church, has become increasingly frail over the years.On Friday, the Vatican said his condition was "stable," adding that Benedict had rested well overnight and taken part in a mass held in his bedroom.Francis called Wednesday for people to pray for him, before visiting him at the Mater Ecclesiae monastery.
The Rome diocese celebrated a special mass for Benedict at the Basilica of St. John Lateran Friday. In his homily, Cardinal Angelo De Donatis said as "priest, theologian, bishop, pope", Benedict "expressed at the same time, the strength and the sweetness of faith."In Germany, in the church of St Oswald in Marktl am Inn, where the former pope was baptized, a photo of Benedict was set up on a tripod next to a baptistery.
"I was passing through, so I decided to stop by the birthplace of the Pope Emeritus," the devout Catholic, an altar server at Regensburg Cathedral, told AFP. "He was a great pope," Italian Carmelo Dellisanti told AFP. "Perhaps misunderstood by some in the Catholic world, but he served the Church. He produced extraordinary homilies and writings."Benedict was 78 when he succeeded the long-reigning and popular John Paul II in April 2005.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Diocese of Balanga to offer holy masses, prayers for Pope Benedict XVIThe Diocese of Balanga in Bataan will offer its holy masses and prayers for the health of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
Read more »
Ex-pontiff Benedict XVI ‘very ill’Vatican City — Pope Francis said Wednesday that former pontiff Benedict XVI, 95, whose health has steadily been deteriorating, is “very ill” and he is praying for him. READ:
Read more »
Ex-pope Benedict’s health serious but stable —mediaFormer pope Benedict XVI remains in a serious but stable condition, Italian media reported Thursday, the day after the Vatican revealed the 95-year-old&39;s health had deteriorated.
Read more »
Death of ex-pope would put Vatican in uncharted territoryThe death of a pope usually sets in motion time-honored traditions, but with ex-pontiff Benedict XVI in failing health the Vatican is on unfamiliar ground.
Read more »
Pope urges prayers for 'very ill' ex-pontiff BenedictPope Francis said Wednesday that Benedict XVI, who in 2013 became the first pontiff to resign in six centuries, is “very ill” and urged people to pray for him.
Read more »