Pope Francis requests prayers for “very sick” Pope Emeritus Benedict

(CNN)- Former Pope Benedict is ‘very sick’, Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis said Wednesday that his predecessor Pope Benedict is “very sick” and asked for prayers for the 95-year-old former Pontiff.

“We ask the lord to console and sustain him in this witness of love for the church to the very end,” said Francis.

In 2013, Pope Benedict XVI shocked the world by making the almost unprecedented decision to resign from his position, citing “advanced age.”

Benedict’s announcement marked the first time a pope had stepped down in nearly 600 years.