(NewsNation) — The Vatican said Thursday morning that Retired Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was “absolutely lucid and conscious,” and he’d slept well the previous night, but that his condition remained serious.

“He’s always been a man of his own, a man who was faithful, and I think that definitely describes his whole life — his priesthood, his serving of the church, a faithful servant,” said Dr. Ulrick Layner, a research professor of theology at the Univerity of Notre Dame.

A statement from Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni on Thursday said Pope Francis asked for continued prayers “to accompany him in these difficult hours.” 

On Wednesday, Pope Francis revealed that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was “very ill” and went to see him at his home in the Vatican Gardens.