Pope Emeritus Benedict's health has worsened

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

The health of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has deteriorated, the Vatican has revealed.

Senior church officials were forced to make their fears public after a respected Vatican expert declared 'we won't have him with us for very much longer'.

The 85-year-old, who stepped down in February, has looked increasingly frail in his few public appearances.

He is reported to have appeared unsteady on his feet when his successor, Pope Francis, visited him at the papal summer retreat of Castel Gandolfo near Rome recently.

He is respected though, for stepping down when he did.