Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI arrives in St. Peter’s Square on the Vatican to attend the beatification ceremony of Pope Paul VI in 2014. Pope Francis on Wednesday mentioned his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, is “very sick,” and he requested the trustworthy to hope for the retired pontiff so God will consolation him “to the very end.”

Andrew Medichini/AP

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Andrew Medichini/AP

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI arrives in St. Peter’s Square on the Vatican to attend the beatification ceremony of Pope Paul VI in 2014. Pope Francis on Wednesday mentioned his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, is “very sick,” and he requested the trustworthy to hope for the retired pontiff so God will consolation him “to the very end.”

Andrew Medichini/AP

VATICAN CITY — The well being of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has worsened on account of his age, and docs are continually monitoring the 95-year-old’s situation, the Vatican mentioned Wednesday.

Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni mentioned Pope Francis, who requested the trustworthy earlier Wednesday to hope for Benedict, went to go to his predecessor within the monastery on Vatican grounds the place the retired pontiff has lived since retiring in February 2013.

“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,” Bruni said in a written statement.

“The state of affairs in the intervening time stays beneath management, continually monitored by docs,” according to the statement.

At the end of his customary Wednesday audience with the public in a Vatican auditorium, Francis departed from his prepared remarks to say that Benedict is “very sick” and asked the faithful to pray for the retired pontiff.

Francis didn’t elaborate on the condition of Benedict.

“I’d like to ask all of you for a special prayer for Emeritus Pope Benedict, who, in silence, is sustaining the church,″ Francis said in remarks near the end of an hour-long audience. “I remind you that he’s very sick,” Francis said.

“Let’s ask the Lord to consolation him and maintain him on this testimony of affection to the church to the very finish,″ Francis mentioned.

After the hour-long viewers, “Pope Francis went to the Mater Ecclesiae monastery to visit Benedict XVI. Let us all unite with him in prayer for the emeritus pope,″ Bruni said.

Benedict, who was the first pontiff to resign in 600 years, has become increasingly frail in recent years as he dedicated his post-papacy life to prayer and meditation.

When Benedict turned 95 in April, his longtime secretary, Archbishop Georg Gaenswein, said the retired pontiff was in good spirits, adding that “naturally he’s bodily comparatively weak and fragile, however relatively lucid.”

Francis called on Benedict at the monastery four months ago. The occasion was Francis’ latest ceremony elevating churchmen to cardinal rank, and the new “princes of the church” accompanied him for the brief greeting.

The Vatican released a photo at the time that showed a very thin-looking Benedict clasping a hand of Francis as they current and past pontiff smiled at each other.

In his first years of retirement, Benedict attended a few cardinal-elevating ceremonies in St. Peter’s Basilica. But lately, he wasn’t sturdy sufficient to attend the lengthy service.