Pope Benedict XVI: why did Joseph Ratzinger resign, where does he live now, age, how old is he - health news

Pope Francis has expressed his desire for God to console Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI "to the very end" and called for special prayers for his "very sick" predecessor in surprise remarks near the end of an hour-long audience.

He urged the faithful to pray for the former pontiff, who resigned in February 2013, on Wednesday (28 December).

Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said in a written statement: “Regarding the health conditions of the emeritus pope, for whom Pope Francis asked for prayers at the end of his general audience this morning, I can confirm that in the last hours, a worsening due to advanced age has happened.”

“The situation at the moment remains under control, constantly monitored by doctors,” according to the statement.

But why exactly did Pope Benedict retire from office? Here is everything you need to know.

Why did Pope Benedict retire?

Even before his 2005 election, Pope Benedict XIV (known under his birth name of Joseph Ratzinger until choosing his pontifical name) he had expressed a desire to retire on account of age-related health problems and a long-held desire to have free time to write.

Pope Benedict resigned as pontiff in February 2013, as a result of his advanced age. At the age of 85 years, he was the fourth-oldest person to hold the office of pope, but the unexpected move (in modern times, all popes have held office until their death) made him the first pope to retire in 600 years, and the first to resign without external pressure since Celestine V in 1294.

In a statement at the time, Benedict cited his deteriorating strength and the physical and mental demands of the papacy, but he had always planned to have a relatively short reign as Pope. According to a statement from the Vatican, the timing of the resignation was not caused by any specific illness but was to "avoid that exhausting rush of Easter engagements".

His resignation, though brought about by any particularly controversial reasons, Benedict’s retirement still created a divide within the Catholic church among fervent conjecture around theories on the true reason for his stepping down, and whether or not his resignation was even valid.

Indeed, on the eve of the first anniversary of his resignation, he wrote to Italian newspaper La Stampa to deny speculation he had been forced to step down, saying “there isn’t the slightest doubt about the validity of my resignation from the Petrine ministry [the office of the Pope]."

He described the speculation about his resignation’s invalidity as “simply absurd.”

What does he do now?

Upon his resignation, Pope Benedict declared that he would continue to serve the church "through a life dedicated to prayer".

Now aged 95, he lives in a convent on Vatican grounds, but has become increasingly frail in recent years as he dedicates his post-papacy life to prayer and silent meditation.

In 2020 it was announced that Benedict had difficulty speaking and had told cardinals “the Lord has taken away my speech in order to let me appreciate silence.”

The most recent photographs of Pope Benedict, taken on 1 December 2022, show just how frail he has become, as he received the winners of the Ratzinger prize in the Vatican.