The Vatican said former Pope Benedict XVI was recovering from a "painful but not serious" health problem.

"The health of former Pope Benedict is not of particular concern, except that he is 93 years old and is recovering from the acute phase of a painful but not serious illness," the Vatican Press Office

The statement was made by the Vatican after the German newspaper Passauer Neue Presse quoted Peter Seewald, biographer of the former pope, saying the former pope was "extremely weak" after suffering from erysipelas, an illness

Seewald said the former pope "said it was unclear", but "remained optimistic despite the illness and said that if his health improved, he would take the pen back".

The former pope is thought to have been ill after visiting his brother Georg Ratzinger, who was seriously ill in Germany in June. It was also the first time he left Italy after resigning in 2013. Georg died 2

Former Pope Benedict XVI real name is Joseph Ratzinger.