My Brother, the Pope

by Georg Ratzinger

  There are many ambitious priests, indeed, regular careerists in the Church. Was he ever ambitious?

  Personally, he was never ambitious, he really was not! But he was always conscientious and bore every responsibility that was imposed on him to the best of his ability. In doing so, he always had his doubts; he asked himself again and again whether he was really accomplishing in the best possible way what was being demanded of him, whether he was really doing everything he could to live up to the trust that others placed in him.

  Did he ever consider even faintly the possibility of being elected pope?

  No, he quite certainly did not. When Hans Küng claims that he was always striving for a position in the ecclesiastical hierarchy, that is sheer nonsense. I know him too well for that. He was convinced he had the special talent for explaining theology well and the grace to live this faith and to think correctly about it and that he was, therefore, actually a good teacher. And that is precisely what he wanted to be, no more and no less; he saw that as his destiny. He never thought about any external honors in doing so; to him they were, instead, always unwelcome.

  So he wanted simply to serve; as his motto says, he wanted to be a “co-worker of the truth” and to carry out this service well?

  Quite right; that is exactly it.

  And all the rest then happened automatically?

  Yes, it happened by itself. I also know several priests who do their utmost to receive titles and honors, but that was never his style. He was always concerned about the matter at hand. He would like to perform his duty as well as he possibly can. For that reason, he has received certain talents along the way, and someday he will have to give an accounting of them.

  In his first greeting to the people after his election as pope, he already called himself a “simple and humble laborer in the vineyard of the Lord” and that is probably quite honest, as he sees it. On meeting him, one notices that he is a profoundly humble, modest man. One always gets the impression that he approaches a matter rather tentatively and carefully, that he looks around first at how people are reacting to him. The applause, the honors, the presents, the jubilant crowds—all that seems unpleasant to him at first. . .

  . . . precisely because he senses quite clearly this boundary between the man and the office and knows his limits. Of course, he knows that all this applies, not to him personally, but rather to him as a representative of a higher authority, as pope. He certainly knows how to make that distinction. As pope, a man must accept all that with an open heart; as a person, it would not suit him.

  What do you wish him for the future?

  I wish with all my heart that my brother will be spared health problems as much as possible and that he can always carry out well and unhindered his ministry as the successor of Peter. And then I wish that someday “on the other side”, where we will all have to pass the exam (Ex-Amen), the final test, he will stand before the heavenly examiner and everything will end well; I am convinced, though, that it will.

  After all, throughout his life, he has always asked first what God’s will is and then wholeheartedly strove to follow him wherever he led him.

  Acknowledgments

  I thank all those who made it possible for this important testimony about the life of Pope Benedict XVI to be made public now.

  In the first place, my heartfelt thanks go to Monsignor Georg Ratzinger. In the nine months between our first meeting and the publication of [the original German edition of] this book, I have repeatedly come to appreciate his modesty, amiability, and kindheartedness. I felt that each one of our meetings was a gift. I wholeheartedly thank also Monsignor Georg Ganswein, the personal secretary of His Holiness the Pope, for reviewing my manuscript quickly and for his valuable suggestions.

  Without Roswitha Biersack from Deutschland pro Papa and her cooperative assistance, this project would never have materialized. She attended all our interviews, which she then transcribed, and accompanied the subsequent work on the manuscript. For this, a very cordial “Vergelt’s Gott!” (May God reward you!) Of course my thanks go also to Frau Sabine Beschmann, who in one of the most difficult hours for the Catholic Church in Germany was godmother to the initiative Deutschland pro Papa, a mouthpiece and action league for all Catholics who are loyal to Rome.

  Special thanks to His Excellency Bishop Gerhard Ludwig Muller, the Bishop of Regensburg, who was our host, as it were, but also to the organizers of the festive program to celebrate the diamond priestly jubilee of the Holy Father in Freising on June 18, 2011, especially Professor Doctor Rudolf Voderholzer from the Institute of Pope Benedict XVI. Thanks also, however, to Her Highness, Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis, for the lively intermezzo on the first day of our interviews. Then I thank my friends and supporters in Rome, among them Father Louis Thevalakara, [papal photographers] Arturo Mari and Francesco Sforza, and the co-workers of the Servizio Fotografico O.R. [Osservatore Romano], my colleagues [German and Austrian journalists] Paul Badde, Guido Horst, Michaela Koller, Benjamin Greschner, Peter Seewald, and Roland Noe.

  In compiling the graphics, I was assisted by the Very Reverend Rupert Berger from Traunstein, who was in the same ordination class as Joseph and Georg Ratzinger, the archivist of the city of Traunstein, Franz Haselbeck, and Guido Treffler from the Arch-diocesan Archives in Munich; the local historian and papal biographer Johann NuBbaum from Rimsting; the cheerful assistants at the Pope’s house in Marktl am Inn, and Frau Kathi Stimmer-Salzeder, a local historian and church musician from Aschau. In addition, I thank Irmgard and Peter Huber, the residents of the Pope’s house in Aschau, for their hospitality and helpfulness, Frau Kalweit of Regensburg for her valuable tips, and the “papal painter” Walter Andreas Angerer, Jr., for an inspiring meeting in Traunstein.

  An especially cordial “Danke schon” goes to Frau Agnes Heindl, the housekeeper of the Cathedral Choirmaster, for her hospitality and refreshing cordiality—also on behalf of my dear dog Lucy, who could be separated from her kitchen only with difficulty.

  My personal thanks to my fiancee Yuliya, who had to do without me during the weeks I spent in Bavaria, for her understanding and her constant inspiration. And, of course, I cannot forget my mother, Renate Hesemann, my media-savvy aunt, Angelika Puls, my aunt Ursula Niedermeier, her daughter, Christa Becker, and very creative grandson, Christian Becker.

  Last but certainly not least, I thank my publisher, Frau Brigitte Fleissner-Mikorey, for her spontaneous enthusiasm, her commitment to and confidence in this project and the special circumstances in which it was carried out, my copyeditor, Doctor Iris Forster, Frau Anja Volkmer for the excellent public relations, and the whole publishing team at Herbig Verlag.

  To all those also who cannot be named here but in one way or another contributed toward the development of this book, a sincere “Vergelt’s Gott.”

  May it help others, also, to discover God’s plan for their lives!

  Abbreviations

  The following abbreviations were used to identify the sources of quotations given in the text. More complete bibliographic information for some entries will be found in the bibliography that follows.

  30 D An interview with Alfred Läpple conducted by Gianni Valente and Pierluca Azzardo, 30 Days 1 (1960), 60.

  Heim Maximilian Heinrich Heim, Joseph Ratzinger: Life in the Church and Living Theology, trans. Michael J. Miller (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2007).

  IP Seewald. Benedict XVI: An Intimate Portrait.

  L An interview with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger by Martin Lohman on December 28, 1998, from alpha forum br-online.de.

  LW Benedict XVI, Light of the World.

  M Ratzinger, Milestones.

  PF Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Pilgrim Fellowship of Faith: The Church as Communion, trans. Henry Taylor (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2005).

  SE Ratzinger and Seewald, Salt of the Earth.

  ST Seewald, Benedict XVI, Servant of the Truth.

  Bibliography

  Asenkerschbaumer, Dionys, Winfried Helm,
and Ludwig Raischl. Geburtshaus Papst Benedikt XVI. Marktl am Inn. Marktl, 2009.

  Benedict XVI and Peter Seewald. Light of the World. Translated by Michael J. Miller and Adrian J. Walker. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010.

  Birkenseer, Karl. Papst Benedikt XVI. in Regensburg. Regensburg, 2006.

  Borghese, Alessandra. In the Footsteps of Joseph Ratzinger. London, 2008.

  Hamberger, Joachim. Papst Benedikt XVI. in Freising. Freising, 2007.

  Hesemann, Michael. Hitlers Religion. Munich, 2004.

  _____. Der Papst, der Hitler trotzte. Augsburg, 2008.

  _____ and Yuliya Tkachova. Benedetto! Benedikt XVI.—Die Kirche ist jung. Munich, 2005.

  Just, Barbara, and Jorg Hammann. Mein Herz schlägt bayrisch. Munich, 2006.

  Kirchinger, Johann, and Ernst Schutz, eds. Georg Ratzinger (1844-1899): Ein Leben zwischen Politik, Geschichte und Seelsorge. Regensburg, 2008.

  Kopp, Matthias, Arturo Mari, and Ludwig Ring-Eifel. Der Papst in Bayern. Freiburg, 2006.

  Läpple, Alfred. Benedikt XVI. und seine Wurzeln. Augsburg, 2006.

  Laube, Volker. Das Erzbischbfliche Studienseminar Saint Michael in Traunstein und sein Archiv. Regensburg, 2006.

  Mai, Klaus. Benedikt XVI. Bergisch Gladbach, 2005.

  NuBbaum, Johann. “Ich werde mal Kardinal”: Wurzeln, Kindheit und Jugend von Papst Benedikt XVI. Rimsting, 2010.

  _____. “Poetisch und herzensgut”: Die Spuren des Papstes und seiner Familie in Rimsting. Rimsting, 2006.

  Pfister, Peter, ed. Geliebte Heimat: Papst Benedikt XVI. und das Erzbistum Munchen und Freising. Munich, 2011.

  _____. Joseph Ratzinger und das Erzbistum Munchen und Freising. Regensburg, 2006.

  Ratzinger, Joseph. God and the World. Translated by Henry Taylor. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2002.

  _____. Introduction to Christianity. Translated by J. R. Foster and Michael J. Miller. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2004.

  _____. Milestones: Memoirs:1927-1977. Translated by Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1998.

  _____, and Peter Seewald. Salt of the Earth. Translated by Adrian Walker. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1997.

  Salzeder, Kathi. Joseph Ratzinger—Papst Benedikt XVI.: Kinder-jahre in Aschau am Inn (1932-1937). Aschau, 2006.

  Seewald, Peter. Benedict XVI: An Intimate Portrait. Translated by Henry Taylor and Anne Englund Nash. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2008.

  _____, ed. Benedict XVI, Servant of the Truth. Translated by Brian McNeil. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006.

  Voderholzer, Rudolf, Christian Schaller, and Franz-Xaver Heibl, eds. Mitteilungen Institut Benedikt XVI. Volumes 1-3. Regensburg, 2008-2010.

  Zuber, Anton Der Bruder des Papstes: Georg Ratzinger und die Regens-burger Domspatzen. Freiburg, 2007.

  Picture Credits

  Collection of Johann NuBbaum, Rimsting: 21, 30

  Anton Messerer, Rickering: 23

  Collection of Michael Hesemann, Dusseldorf: 36, 42, 62

  Wilma Jetzfellner, Chieming: 57

  Irene Walter, Munich: 67, 87

  Archives of the Pope’s house in Marktl: 68

  Archiv Kathi Stimmer-Salzeder, Gemeinde Aschau: 72, 85, 86

  Josef Strehhuber, Steinhoring: 97

  Archives of the city of Traunstein: 104, 148, 168

  Peter Freiwang, Rosenheim: 121

  Collection of Georg Ratzinger: 128, 129, 196

  Archives of the Archdiocese of Munich: 161, 164, 212

  Photo album of the First Mass of Doctor Rupert Berger in the archives of the city of Traunstein:163 (Oswald Kettenberger, Traunstein), 167 (Gustl Tögl, Munich)

  KNA-Bild, Bonn: 190

  Ullstein Bild—Breuel-Bild, Berlin: 234

  Photographic service of L’Osservatore Romano, Vatican City: 237, 240

  Color plates:

  Fotografia Felici, Rome, www.fotografiafelici.com: 1

  Photographic service of L’Osservatore Romano, Vatican City: 2, 6-17

  Collection of Georg Ratzinger: 3-5

  1. Habemus Papam! Pope Benedict XVI appears and greets the faithful for the first time after his election

  2. With the Domspatzen in the Sistine Chapel: Pope Benedict XVI thanks his brother, Msgr. Georg Ratzinger

  3. 1980: Cardinal J. Ratzinger introduces his brother to Pope John Paul II during a concert in Munich

  4. The Ratzinger siblings in 1989 at the celebration of Georg Ratzinger’s 65th birthday

  5. 1999: The brothers during a visit to Prague

  6-8. Devoted to Mary and his homeland: Pope Benedict XVI prays on September 11, 2006, in the Chapel of Graces in Altötting, and then he donates his episcopal ring to our Lady

  9. On September 13, 2006, on the way to the “Old Chapel”: Georg Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI, and the Bishop of Regensburg, Gerhard Ludwig Muller. In the background the house belonging to the Pope’s brother

  10. Pope Benedict XVI and his brother in Marktl am Inn, visiting the baptismal font over which Joseph Ratzinger was received into the communion of the Church on April 16, 1927

  11. A heartfelt desire: reconciliation with the Jews. Benedict XVI on May 11, 2009, in the Holocaust Memorial Yad Vashem

  12. Good neighbors: meeting with Hans Rosengold, the head of the Jewish congregation in Regensburg

  13. Msgr. Georg Ratzinger and Pope Benedict XVI at the grave of their parents in the cemetery in Ziegetsdorf

  14. The Pope and his brother on vacation together

  15. Georg Ratzinger is made an honorary citizen of the city of Castel Gondolfo. His brother, the Pope, gives the eulogy

  16. Relaxing at the piano: Benedict XVI on vacation

  17. The Pope at work: Benedict XVI at his desk

  Notes

  Foreward

  1 On the occasion of the conferral of the honorary citizenship of Castel Gandolfo on his brother, Monsignor Georg Ratzinger. Back to text.

  Introduction

  1 Quotation from the marriage certificate from the year 1920: “The municipal authorities of Rimsting hereby certify, for the purpose of her intended marriage, that Maria Peintner, a cook, was born on January 8, 1884, the legitimate daughter of the baker Isidore and his wife Maria Rieger, nee Peintner, and is resident in the undersigned municipality. She has no children Maria Rieger goes by the name Peintner, because to this day no official acknowledgment of paternity has been forthcoming and the necessary proofs from Tyrol cannot be recovered on account of the Italian occupation. Municipality of Rimsting, October 3, 1920—the Mayor.” Back to text.

  2 Adrian VI was from Utrecht, which at that time was part of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. The last pope from the territory of the present-day Federal Republic of Germany was Victor II (1055-1057), the former Bishop of Eichstätt, from the line of the Counts of Dollnstein-Hirschberg. Back to text.

  3 For more about the activities of the association, visit www.deutschland-pro-papa.de. Back to text.

  4 According to protocol, the correct form of address after he was named Apostolic Protonotary by Pope John Paul II in 1994 is, of course, “Hochwürdigster Herr Prälat” (Most Reverend Prelate), or, in Italian, “Monsignore”! Back to text.

  I

  1 Maybe that is why she insisted on being married in Absam / Tyrol, although at that point in time she had long since been living in the Bavarian town of Mühldorf. Back to text.

  2 A caramelized pancake with bits of fruit and nuts, cut into pieces, and served with fruit sauce and powdered sugar.—Trans. Back to text.

  3 NuBbaum, Johann, “Poetisch und herzensgut”: Die Spuren des Papstes und seiner Familie in Rimsting (Rimsting, 2006). Back to text.

  III

  1 According to the records of Cardinal Faulhaber preserved in the archives of the Archdiocese of Munich, this was on June 19, 1931; Joseph Ratzinger was four years old at the time. Back to text.

  IV

  1 In order to protect the descendants of the persons in question, Msgr. Ratzinger asked that their names be conceale
d. Back to text.

  V

  1 Treibball is a game in which two teams try to drive each other back by throwing a heavy ball as far as possible over a line in the middle of the playing field.—Trans. Back to text.

  2 The North German author Theodor Storm (1817-1888) from Husum on the North Sea made a name for himself as a poet and author of novellas and prose, developing a North German, middle-class variety of German realism. Even today his last and best-known work, Der Schimmelreiter, is a popular book on school reading lists. Back to text.

  VI

  1 On November 14, 1923, Archbishop Eugenio Pacelli, the future Pope Pius XII, who was at that time apostolic nuncio in Munich, reported to the Vatican Secretariat of State about “the anti-Catholic character of the Nazi uprising in Munich”. Singling out for mention “Hitler and Ludendorff, the stars among the street orators”, Pacelli noted that “the particular target of the attacks was the learned and conscientious Cardinal Archbishop, who in a sermon in the cathedral on the fourth of this month had denounced the persecution of the Jews. . . . So it happened that during the riots last Saturday afternoon [the armed uprising by Hitler on November 11, 1923—Ed.] a large group of demonstrators marched up in front of the Archiepiscopal palace and shouted, ‘Down with the Cardinal!’ ” Back to text.