Who Is The Pope Now: Pope Francis has acknowledged that Pope Benedict XVI is “extremely unwell” and has urged his faithful to pray for his recovery. The 95-year-old Benedict, now residing in a convent in the Vatican, retired from his position as pope in February 2013, becoming the first pope to do so in 600 years.
“I’d like to urge everyone to a special prayer for Emeritus Pope Benedict, who is quietly supporting the church. I remind you that he is extremely ill,” stated Pope Francis.
“Let’s ask the Lord to comfort and sustain him in this testimony of love to the church to the very end.”
Who Is The Pope Now?
After Pope Benedict resigned in March 2013, Francis, then known as Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was elected the head of the Roman Catholic Church.
Pope Francis is the 266th Pope in the Catholic Church’s history, although he is the first in many ways, according to Catholica. For instance, he is the first Pope to come from outside Europe in 1272 years, the first to choose the name Francis, and the first to come from the Americas (which originates from Saint Francis of Assisi).
Why Did Pope Benedict Resign?
On April 19, 2005, Pope Benedict was chosen to succeed the 27-year-old, wildly popular Pope John Paul II. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, former Pope Benedict, served as the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith’s director for 25 years (their doctrinal office).
His eight-year pontificate was marred by various conflicts that damaged his reputation as a theological conservative, including claims that he insulted Islam by implying it was intrinsically violent. According to the BBC, Pope Benedict cited his “old age” as the reason for his resignation since it hindered him from performing the position’s duties adequately.
Others, however, blame his resignation on scandals like the “Vatileaks” scandal, which saw a leak of Vatican records in 2012 that revealed corruption within the organization; his resignation took place the following year.
What Is Benedict’s Condition?
During his weekly public audience at the Vatican, Pope Francis disclosed that his 95-year-old predecessor Benedict was “extremely unwell” and begged the faithful to pray for him.
Although his precise condition is not immediately known to us, the Vatican’s spokesman Matteo Bruni stated that his health “had deteriorated in the last few hours due to his age. Keep yourself updated with all the latest news from our website Newswatchlist.com and get all the recent updates.