On December 28, 2022, Pope Francis stated that his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, had become unwell. On December 31, 2022, Pope Benedict XVI died. The former Pope has remained retired for nine years after retiring in 2013, an unprecedented step in papal history.
According to CNN, on December 28, 2022, Pope Francis urged the Church faithful to pray for Pope Benedict, who was "very sick." He stated, "I'd want to ask you all a special prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict, who sustains the Church in his silence. He is very sick " to the general audience at the Vatican.
"We ask the Lord to console and sustain him in this witness of love for the Church to the very end."
Later, a Vatican spokeswoman acknowledged Pope Benedict's sickness, adding that "in the last few hours there has been a deterioration due to the advancement of [Benedict's] age."
This is not the first time Pope Benedict has become very ill; in 2020, the Vatican announced he was ailing, suffering from a "painful but not serious condition," following allegations of his deterioration in a German publication.
Reports confirmed Pope Benedict's death on December 31, 2022. He was 95 years old at the time of his death.
Several reports reveal that Pope Benedict XVI died from old age after falling sick. There is yet no confirmation on the nature of his ailment.