Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI remains ‘stable’ despite worsening health

ROME — Vatican officials have asked for prayers for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, whose health has worsened in recent days.

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In a statement Friday, a spokesperson from the Vatican’s press office said that Benedict’s health “remains stable at this time” and said that the former pope was able to have a good rest and participate in a celebration of Mass in his room.

A mass is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in Rome to remember Benedict in prayer and health. In a statement, the Diocese of Rome has asked for all “parish communities, chaplaincies, religious men and women, all the faithful of the diocese and all the men and women of goodwill who live in Rome,” to gather in prayer for Benedict, “praying to the Lord that He may console him and sustain him in his witness of love for the Church until the end.”

On Wednesday, Pope Francis revealed that his predecessor was in ill health and called for the faithful to offer prayers for Benedict, The Associated Press reported.

Benedict was the first pope to resign since Pope Gregory XII in 1415, according to Reuters. After he stepped down, Gregory spent his days hundreds of miles from Rome and was buried in Recanati, a town on the northern Adriatic coast.

Benedict has lived in seclusion for his retirement in a converted monastery in the Vatican and is being treated by a team of doctors and his longtime papal family, according to the AP.

Benedict resigned in 2013 after he was elected to succeed Pope John Paul II in 2005. Born Joseph Ratzinger, he chose the name Benedict XVI, Reuters reported.

While the Vatican has extensive and elaborate rituals in place for the death of a reigning pope, there is no publicly known protocol for the death of a pope emeritus, according to Reuters. A reigning pope’s funeral includes a missal of more than 400 pages which includes liturgy, music and prayers.

Benedict has indicated that he would like to be buried in the crypt beneath St. Peter’s Basilica, which was once occupied by the tomb of St. John Paul II, the AP reported.

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Through the years VATICAN CITY - APRIL 19: Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (C) of Germany, waves from a balcony of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican after being elected by the conclave of cardinals April 19, 2005 in Vatican City. The 265th Pope will lead the world's 1 billion Catholics. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

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