At the end of the Pope's final audience of the year, he asked people to "pray a special prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict". The Vatican then said the ex-Pope's health had worsened in recent hours.

As I lay there pondering the hard-fought election battle, I felt drawn to pray the morning prayer of St. Benedict. The prayer begins: “I am given this new day as a gift.” We all are.

St. Benedict’s strives to be an inclusive Christian community that celebrates the divine in all beings, and inspires spiritual growth through joyful, creative sacramental worship, ...