Oh, my. When a 95-year-old man becomes “very ill,” it often does not turn out well. And when his successor announces the need for prayers of the faithful at his weekly general audience, that seems like preparation for some bad news to come.

News agencies have issued breaking-news alerts on Pope Francis’ call for intercessionary prayer on behalf of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. CNN plays it straight, sticking to the announcement itself and a thumbnail history of why we have two popes at the same time:

Pope Francis said Wednesday that his predecessor Pope Benedict is “very sick” and asked for prayers for the 95-year-old former pontiff.

“I want to ask you all for a special prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict who sustains the Church in his silence. He is very sick,” Francis said during his general audience at the Vatican on Wednesday.

“We ask the Lord to console and sustain him in this witness of love for the Church to the very end.”

NBC shamefully decided to toss in references to the Nazis and a report on his failures as Archbishop of Munich four decades ago in the Catholic Church’s abuse scandals. In this case, stick with CNN, at least for now. Or better yet, stick with more reliable Vatican coverage from outlets like Crux, which has more background on Benedict’s health and frailty:

Speaking on condition of anonymity, sources with knowledge of Benedict XVI’s condition told Crux he was “normal” as of a week ago, and they did not believe there was reason to think his life was at immediate risk. …

At 95, Benedict has been described as increasingly frail, hard of hearing and losing his sight, as well as having difficulty speaking, yet also being fully mentally astute.

Though he is no longer able to stand for the celebration of the Mass, according to previous statements made by his personal secretary, German Archbishop Georg Ganswein, he concelebrates Mass every day in a small chapel in the Vatican monastery where he lives from his wheelchair.

It has been nearly a decade since Benedict made the stunning announcement of his retirement in February 2013. He has lived mostly in seclusion ever since, dedicating himself to a life of prayer, contemplation, and some writing. The remarkable period of two popes has lasted longer than most predicted at the time, and it may last even longer. Francis’ call to ask the Lord to console and support Benedict “until the end” makes it sound as though this era in the Church may soon come to a close.

We’ll keep an eye on this story as it develops, both here at Hot Air and on the Hugh Hewitt show this morning, airing from 6-9 am ET, live from the home studio deep in the heart of Texas. We will have a great lineup of guests and regular contributors:

• John Hinderaker
• Wesley Smith
• Brian Wesbury
• King Banaian
• Cam Edwards
• Christian Toto

We’ll also take your calls to the show at 800-520-1234, and you can watch the show live at The Hughniverse. There’s a great chat room that goes with it, and lots of original content in the troll-free websurfing experience for subscribers. The audio also streams at HughHewitt.com.