Has Benedict lost consciousness? Has he been treated for kidney problems? Speculations about the illness of the former Pope are overturning. One thing is certain: in the past few days things have been extremely bad. Now his condition seems to be stabilizing.
The state of health of Benedict XVI. According to official information from the Vatican, there has been no negative change as of this Friday. "Last night the Pope Emeritus slept well. He also attended the celebration of Holy Mass in his room yesterday afternoon. His condition is currently stable," said Matteo Bruni, spokesman for the Holy See.
The 95-year-old is being looked after and medically monitored in the former Mater Ecclesiae monastery. His health had deteriorated over the Christmas holidays, the Vatican said. Pope Francis called his predecessor "very ill" and asked the faithful to pray for the pontiff, who resigned in 2013.
The usually well-informed Roman Catholic daily "La Croix" from France reported, citing several sources, that Benedict had been treated for kidney problems. The Italian news agency Ansa had also reported possible kidney failure. The Vatican did not comment on this. It just said the situation was under control.
The Italian newspaper "Corriere della Sera" wrote that Benedict "lost consciousness for a while" during the phase when the situation had deteriorated. But already on Thursday he reacted positively to the treatment and was able to communicate with the people again, it was said. The native Bavarian himself refused to be taken to a hospital.
It was already known that the German is now physically very weak and has difficulty speaking. The Vatican did not comment or confirm media reports that he was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe and that important vital functions such as the heart had been declining for a few days. Benedict was Pope from 2005 to 2013 before he decided to retire from the pontifical office.
Before that, the German, known as a brilliant theologian, was prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and thus the supreme guardian of the faith of the Catholics for more than two decades. Many critics accuse him of not having sufficiently opened up the church through his conservative attitude. In addition, the revelations about abuse scandals - for example during the time as archbishop in Munich and Freising - cast a large shadow over his vita.
