Vatican City, Feb 15, 2018 / 13:33 pm
After rumors spread in German media that Benedict XVI has a paralyzing nerve disease, the Vatican debunked the story, saying the retired Pope is experiencing nothing more than the normal aches and pains of aging.
"The recent news of a paralyzing or degenerative illness are false," the Vatican said Feb. 15.
The statement was in response to a story published in German tabloid Neue Post Feb. 14, which quoted Benedict's older brother Georg Ratzinger as saying that the Pope Emeritus had a degenerative nerve disease which left him increasingly in need of a wheelchair.
Benedict XVI recently sent a letter to Italian daily Corriere della Sera saying he is in the last phase of his life, and that while his physical strength might be waning, he is surrounded by love and consolation.