Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's medical condition remains serious, but the Vatican reported Thursday that he is "lucid and alert."

The emeritus pope Benedict XVI has suffered a decline in health, Pope Francis said today at the end of his general audience. He asked for prayers for the 95-year-old former pontiff.

"It is really important for [religious orders] to set the story straight immediately and to reveal all the known facts in a case."

Pope Francis’ message to the Roman Curia has often been challenging, even provocative, and this year’s address was no exception.

Parliamentary inquests have been used in the past to dig deeply into unresolved Mafia crimes and terrorist attacks, and can be activated to conduct investigations “on matters of public interest,” according to the Italian Constitution.

Bishop Daniele Libanori also said the claims of the women about the Rev. Marko Ivan Rupnik were true and that they had “seen their lives ruined by the evil suffered and by the complicit silence” of the church.