Pope Benedict is in stable condition, the Vatican said in a statement on Friday.

It emerged that Benedict's health had deteriorated after Pope Francis broke the news two days ago, saying his predecessor was "very ill." 

Francis said he went to see Benedict in his home in the Vatican Gardens and asked people for their prayers.

The Vatican statement on Friday noted that Benedict also participated in the "celebration of Holy Mass in his room yesterday afternoon."

The former pope's condition is "stationary," according to the statement.

Church leaders call for prayers for former pope

Catholic Church leaders from Germany, the UK, the US called on the faithful to keep the former pontiff in their prayers.

German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the current archbishop of Munich, told churchgoers Wednesday they received the news and "there is great concern in Rome about the health of the Pope Emeritus." 

"And so we especially want to include him in our prayers," he added.

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the head of the Italian Bishops' Conference, told people to keep Benedict in their thoughts "in this moment of suffering and trial."

Former Pope Benedict alert, Vatican says

The Vatican said that Benedict was alert and stable yesterday, but that his condition was still serious.

Pope Benedict, formerly Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, was born in the village of Marktl in the German state of Bavaria. He was elected the pope in 2005, following the death of Pope John Paul II.

However, Benedict resigned from his position as leader of the Catholic Church in 2013 citing advanced age, and surprising people since he became the first German pope to relinquish power since the Middle Ages. His resignation led the way for Francis' election.

Benedict is 95-years-old today and chose to live out his retirement in seclusion in a converted monastery in the Vatican.

Benedict's papacy

Benedict pushed for environmental changes and criticized the relentless churn of capitalism that "degrades man into merchandise."

But he led a conservative agenda during his eight years as pope and faced controversies over covering up sexual abuse of minors when he was an archbishop in Germany decades ago.

Benedict acknowledged earlier this year that "abuse and errors" had taken place under his watch but denied any personal wrongdoing.

rm/jcg (Reuters, AP)