by catholicherald.co.uk — Diane Montagna — New details about Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s condition have emerged following Pope Francis’s request yesterday for prayers for the former pontiff. News of Benedict’s declining health was revealed on Wednesday, at the end of the usual general audience, when Pope Francis asked the faithful assembled in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall to pray for his predecessor who, he said, was “supporting the Church in silence” and was “very ill”. By 11:30 Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni had issued a statement confirming that Benedict’s condition had worsened “in the last few hours” due to “advancing age” but said it was “under control” and being monitored by doctors. Bruni added that after the audience, Pope Francis visited the pope emeritus at his Mater Ecclesiae residence in the Vatican. A well-informed Vatican source told the Catholic Herald on Wednesday evening that Benedict was not suffering from “any particular grave illness” but is “gradually wearing out and fading away due to his advanced age”. The source confirmed a report in the National Catholic Register that Benedict had a recent modification to his pacemaker but described this, along with reported kidney failure, as “typical of old age” rather than due to a specific illness or disease.
“The last phase“
The source also explained that Benedict’s condition had significantly worsened on Tuesday night, to the point of losing consciousness, and that Pope Francis had been informed of this prior to Wednesday’s general audience. Benedict later regained consciousness and was said to be “alert” but on Wednesday evening took a turn for the worse, with those close to him believing the pope emeritus might be entering his final hours. By Thursday morning, however, his condition had stabilised. The source stressed that such lapses of consciousness, particularly in the elderly, can be a part of the “mystery” of the evening of life. “We have probably reached the last phase of his earthly life, and we must prepare and pray for him and for the Church. But only God knows when this will happen: this evening, tomorrow night, in a few days or perhaps in ten,” the source said. “I don’t think we can speak of months now, but we are in the Lord’s hands now more than ever.” It is presumed that Benedict has been given last rites, but this has yet to be confirmed.
Uncharted waters
Given the novelty of the “pope emeritus” title—which Benedict himself chose when he resigned the papacy in 2013—there are many questions regarding what will happen after he dies. For instance, will he be given a papal funeral, a state funeral, or something simpler? Did the pope emeritus leave instructions for his funeral and burial and, if so, will they be respected?
The funeral of Pope John Paul II, on 8 April 2005, brought together the single largest gathering of heads of state outside the United Nations, and is likely to have been one of the largest Christian gatherings in history. The revisions he had introduced to ceremonies surrounding a papal death, repose, and burial (in his 1996 apostolic constitution Universi Dominici gregis) were enacted at his own funeral. But with the funeral of Benedict XVI, the first pope to resign since Gregory XII (1415), the Church will be entering uncharted waters. Sources told the Catholic Herald that meetings were already underway in the Secretariat of State on Thursday to discuss what lies ahead. While some believe Pope Francis will grant his predecessor the honor of a papal funeral, others point to pressure to diminish Benedict and his legacy. One source told the Catholic Herald on Wednesday that Venezuelan Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra—who serves as second-in-charge at the Secretariat of State and is “very close” to Cardinal Óscar Rodríguez Maradiaga—has insisted that Benedict’s funeral be “as simple as possible”.
The final decision will, of course, rest with Pope Francis.
Given that Benedict has widely been seen as a sort of “break” and “bulwark” against heterodox currents, especially coming from his native Germany, there are also questions about what his death will mean for the Church. We will learn more in the coming days and
UPDATE: Consistent with the Catholic Herald’s report above, at approximately 2:15pm (Rome-time), Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni issued a statement on Pope emeritus Benedict XVI’s condition, which reads: “The Pope Emeritus managed to rest well last night, he is absolutely lucid and alert and today, although his condition remains serious, the weeks. situation at the moment is stable. Pope Francis renews his invitation to pray for him and to accompany him in these difficult hours.” This is a developing story.
