Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte has been transferred to a palliative care unit.
The news was announced Thursday by Montreal Archbishop Christian Lépine.
The archbishop reported that the cardinal's condition has continued to deteriorate since his admission to hospital late last summer.
Bishop Lépine asked others to respect the privacy of the family in this difficult time and to support them in silence and prayer.
Jean-Claude Turcotte, 78, served as Archbishop of Montreal for 22 years before being replaced by Christian Lépine.
He was appointed cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 1994.
