Pope Emeritus Benedict "very sick," Pope Francis asks for prayers

Pope Francis asked for prayers for Pope Emeritus Benedict in Vatican City on Wednesday, saying he is "very sick." Francis made the surprise appeal at the end of his general audience, giving no further details.

A religious analyst, "La Croix" journalist Loup Besmond De Sennville called this a "very serious situation" because "it's the very first time that Pope Francis talked about Pope Benedict like that, using his words and saying that he is very ill."

Benedict, 95, in 2013 became the first pope in some 600 years to resign. He has been living in the Vatican since then.

The Vatican said in a statement Benedict had suffered a sudden "worsening" of his health in recent hours. It also said his condition was "under control" and that he was receiving constant medical attention.

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