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.
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.
Pope Francis said Wednesday his predecessor, whose birth name is Joseph Ratzinger, was “very ill”.
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.
Benedict moved out of the papal palace and into a former convent within the Vatican when he retired.
Francis called Wednesday for people to pray for him, before visiting him at the Mater Ecclesiae monastery.
