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What’s the truth about Benedict XVI’s health?

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¿Cuál es el verdadero estado de salud de Benedicto XVI?
  • The alleged death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI spread fast on social media on Monday.
  • It was just fake news: the Pope Emeritus is alive.
  • What is the true state of Benedict XVI’s health?

BENEDICT XVI IS ALIVE. The alleged death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI spread rapidly on social media on Monday but, to the relief of many Catholics, it was just fake news. Even so, the rumor disturbed people who are now wondering: What is the true state Benedict XVI’s health?

With the terrible news circulating around the world, the Catholic Information Agency (ACI) saw the need to immediately to refute reports that Benedict XVI had died. In reality, the information had come from a false account allegedly created by Italian journalist Tommaso Debenedetti.

What is the true state of Benedict XVI’s health?

state of health of Benedict XVI
Photo: Twitter

The rumor of the death of the pope emeritus was spread through the fake Twitter account @BischofBatzing which bears the name of the president of the German Episcopal Conference, Bishop Georg Bätzing. This account has already been removed from Twitter.

However, the news was enough to renew fears about the state of health of Benedict XVI, who turned 95 in April, and who resigned from the papacy in 2013 saying that he no longer had the strength to continue.

The first pope to resign in 600 years

state of health of Benedict XVI
Photo: Twitter

Joseph Ratzinger, as he was known before becoming pontiff, became the first pope to resign in 600 years. At that time he was 86 years old and had been in office for eight years. He was elected on April 19, 2005, when he was already a 78-year-old man, the oldest to be selected to serve as Pope.

Even so, in April, when he reached the age of 95, his personal secretary, the German Archbishop Georg Gänswein, assured in an interview with the Italian newspaper Oggi that the pope emeritus was «physically weak» but that his mind was still fully functional.

Weak body, strong mind

Photo: Twitter

“Pope Benedict is weak physically, but his mind works very well,” Archbishop Gänswein said. He also explained that Benedict XVI has great weakness in his legs, so he requires a walker or a wheelchair to be able to move around, El Universal pointed out.

Precisely, due to his state of health, the Pope Emeritus does not usually appear in public and his outings are very limited. In fact, the last trip he made dates back to June 2020, when he returned to Munich, his hometown, to be able to visit his older brother, Georg Ratzinger, on his deathbed. Georg Ratzinger died days later.

Fears about Covid-19

Photo: Twitter

Since he resigned, Benedict XVI lives in seclusion in prayer in the Mater Ecclesiae monastery in the Vatican. In addition to the health complications of old age, the Pope Emeritus developed an infectious disease of the face, erysipelas, with symptoms such as redness and pain. Also, his voice is almost inaudible.

The health of Benedict XVI is a priority for the Catholic Church, which has taken extreme care of him since the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic. He received his first vaccine in January 2021 and very few people approach him, precisely to avoid possible contagion.

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