Pope Benedict makes rare public appearance as Pope Francis lays hands on him

Pope Benedict makes rare public appearance as Pope Francis lays hands on him

Jane WhartonTuesday 3 Jul 2018 10:02 am

Pope Francis displayed a touching moment of friendship by placing his hands on Pope Benedict, who was making a very rare public appearance. The tender scene came as the current Pope was appointing 14 new cardinals from all over the world in a bid to widen diversity in the Vatican. Pope Benedict shocked the world five years ago when he became the first Pope in six centuries to resign. A rare appearance by Pope Benedict who has told people he is now entering the final stage of life. (Picture: Vatican media)The 90-year-old now lives in near-isolation in the Vatican grounds and has said he is entering the last phase of life. Earlier this year, it emerged he is battling a disease of his nervous system, which means he often needs to use a wheelchair. He told an Italian newspaper he was on a ‘pilgrimage towards home’. He has only made a handful of public appearances since his resignation in 2013, mostly at major Church events. Pope Francis has just appointed 14 new cardinals in a diverse selection from countries including Iraq, Pakistan, Madagascar and Japan. The Argentine pontiff, 81, is aiming to shape a less European college of cardinals. Each new appointee knelt in front of Pope Francis who placed the cardinal’s hat on their heads during the ceremony at St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. The 14 new cardinals are from 11 different countries in a bid to make the Vatican less European. (Picture: Vatican media)Before the appointments, he warned the new cardinals to avoid the kind of ‘palace intrigues’ which have plagued the Vatican over the years. He said instead they must focus on ‘those who are hungry, the forgotten, the prisoner, the sick, the addict, the abandoned person.’ Among the new ‘princes’ of the church is Iraq’s Louis Raphael Sako, who has often met Pope Francis to discuss the situation in the war-torn country and the plight of the dwindling Christian community. Wars following the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s regime and sectarianism have reduced the Christian population in Iraq from 1.5million in 2003 to 400,000-500,000 now. Pope Francis, the first head of the church from Latin America, was named in 2013 after his predecessor German-born Pope Benedict XVI stood down citing advancing age. In the event of a conclave to name a new pope, 11 of the new 14 cardinals being under 80 years of age would be eligible to take part. The new appointments mean there are now 226 members of the college of cardinals.