Pope Francis pays Christmas visit to Pope emeritus Benedict XVI

Pope Francis with his predecessor

Source: Vatican Media

On Friday evening, Pope Francis visited the Pope emeritus Benedict XVI, in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, in order to exchange Christmas greetings.

Pope Francis has visited the Monastery in the Vatican City, several times over the course of the past year. Most recently, in October, he called on the Pope emeritus on the eve of the canonization of Paul VI. Before that, the Holy Father made a surprise visit with the fourteen new Cardinals he had created in the Consistory of June this year.