Pope Francis said Wednesday that former Pope Benedict is “very sick.”

Speaking during his general audience, the pope asked for special prayers for Benedict.

He did not elaborate on Benedict’s condition and there has been no comment from the Vatican on the state of his health.

The 95-year-old Benedict resigned in 2013, citing among other things his declining physical and mental health, becoming the first pope to do so in 600 years. Since then, he has been living in a convent on the Vatican grounds.

In the few photographs that have emerged, Benedict has appeared frail.

Some information for this report came from Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
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