Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, said on Friday afternoon that the health of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI remains stable.
Bruni added that last evening, Benedict XVI was able to have a good rest, and that earlier in the afternoon he participated in the celebration of Mass in his room.
Mass at John Lateran
In a message December 29, the Cardinal Vicar of Rome, Angelo De Donatis, invited all the communities of the Diocese of Rome to unite in prayer for Benedict.
“In the celebration of Masses today and in the coming days,” the cardinal writes, citing Pope Francis’ invitation, “we accompany our dear bishop emeritus in his time of suffering and trial, invoking the Lord so that ‘he may console and sustain him in this witness of love for the Church until the end.'”
The Mass at St. John Lateran will be December 30 at 5:30 pm and presided over by Bishop Guerino Di Tora, vicar of the cardinal archpriest of the Lateran Basilica.
The celebration will be streamed on the Facebook page of the Diocese of Rome.
