Former Pope Benedict XVI, who is known as the first pope in 600 years to step down instead of reigning as pope for life, is severely ill after he returned to the Vatican as he paid a visit to Germany, as reported by a German newspaper on Monday.

The publication, Passauer Neue Presse, cited Peter Seewald, the German author of Benedict's biography who met the 93-year-old former pope on Saturday at the Vatican.

The spokesperson of the Vatican did not give a remark on the report and even Archbishop Georg Ganswein, who is the personal secretary of the emeritus pope, did not instantly answer a phone call requesting for a comment about the former pope's health condition.

As stated by Seewald, the former pope, Benedict has been unwell for some time and is currently suffering from shingles, which is a viral infection that causes burning rashes that are usually experienced by older people.

Seewald uttered that the voice of the former pope was barely audible, which sounded the same as what other visitors of the former pope have commented for several months. And despite suffering from shingles, the former pope was optimistic and declared that once he recovers from the illness and regains his strength, he might come back and take up his pen once more, Sky News reported.

On a statement by Seewald, the former pope is still thinking and has a sharp memory but his voice is too obscured to be clearly heard.

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In June, the former pope, who resides in a former covenant located in the Vatican gardens, left Italy for the first time since his resignation in his reign as pope in 2013 to pay an impassioned farewell visit to his ailing older brother George in their Bavaria.

At age 96, Georg Ratzinger died on July 1. In the year 1951, the siblings were ordained as priests on the same day.

Benedict, the former Joseph Ratzinger who was chosen in 2005 to take the place of the well-known Pope John Paul II after a nearly 27-year reign, surprised the world and even his closest companions when he pronounced in Latin that he was resigning from his position on February 11, 2013. And his position was taken over by Pope Francis.

According to The Guardian, the former pope articulated during a gathering attended by cardinals that he was already too old and weak to lead the way of an institution with more than 1.3 billion followers.

During the resignation of former Pope Benedict, the Vatican was stuck in a raft of money troubles, sexual assault scandals, and lack of agreement and harmony among bureaucrats that caused to leak of significant documents.

Benedict uttered that the reason for his resignation was mainly because of his health condition.

Former Pope Benedict's spiritual will that was already written will be published after his death and has chosen his final resting place to be the tomb of St. John Paul II in the crypt of St. Peter.

The Church's hardline conservatives have been flustered by the progressive moves of Pope Francis and have looked up to Benedict as their inspired leader. This situation has forced the former pope to remind them of several gatherings that Francis is the only one pope.

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