Pope Benedict RESIGNING

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/benedict-xvi-celebrates-mass-with-his-ill-brother-on-feast-of-the-sacred-heart-48486

Benedict XVI celebrates Mass with his ill brother on feast of the Sacred Heart

CNA Staff, Jun 19, 2020 / 02:32 am MT (CNA).- Pope emeritus Benedict XVI will celebrate Mass with his ailing brother on the feast of the Sacred Heart during his first full day in Germany Friday.

A June 19 statement from the Diocese of Regensburg said that after Benedict XVI arrived from Rome at noon on Thursday he immediately visited his 96-year-old brother, Msgr. Georg Ratzinger.

The brothers celebrated Mass together at the house in Regensburg and the pope emeritus then traveled to the diocesan seminary in the afternoon to rest. In the evening, he returned to see his brother.

The diocese said: “For the first morning in his old homeland, an authentic Bavarian breakfast awaited the pope emeritus in the seminary. There were pretzels, which Archbishop Georg Gänswein, who accompanied him, was also pleased about.”

“In the course of the morning the two brothers will celebrate together a high mass for today’s feast of the Sacred Heart.”

The diocese added that “afterwards there will be apple strudel,” a popular pastry in Bavaria and Austria.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/benedict-xvi-to-pray-at-his-familys-gravesite-in-germany-46586

Benedict XVI to pray at his family's gravesite in Germany

CNA Staff, Jun 20, 2020 / 08:24 am MT (CNA).- Pope emeritus Benedict XVI will visit his family’s gravesite and his former home in Pentling, Germany, in the afternoon on Saturday.

According to a June 20 statement from the Diocese of Regensburg, the former pope will visit the residence where he lived as “Professor Ratzinger” from 1970 to 1977.

He last time seeing the home was during his 2006 pastoral trip to Bavaria. Pentling is just outside Regensburg.

The diocese said Benedict XVI will then visit the Ziegetsdorf cemetery to spend some time in prayer at the graves of his parents and sister.

The former pope has been in Regensburg since June 18. He flew there from Rome to see his 96-year-old brother, Msgr. Georg Ratzinger, who is in seriously poor health.

Benedict’s father died in 1959 and his mother in 1963. His older sister Maria, who never married, managed his household until her death in 1991.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/benedict-xvi-to-return-to-rome-june-22-after-visit-with-brother-georg-ratzinger-in-bavaria-germany-58452

Benedict XVI to return to Rome June 22 after visit with ailing brother in Germany

CNA Staff, Jun 21, 2020 / 05:32 am MT (CNA).- Pope emeritus Benedict XVI will return to Rome and the Vatican on Monday, according to the Diocese of Regensburg.

The former pope has been in Bavaria since June 18. He flew there from Rome to see his 96-year-old brother, Msgr. Georg Ratzinger, who is in poor health.

The pope emeritus is staying in the seminary of the Diocese of Regensburg during his visit. At the time of his arrival, the date of his return journey had not been set.

According to Regensburg diocese, on Sunday morning the 93-year-old Benedict celebrated Mass with his brother in Luzengasse. “And – if the strength allows – again in the second half of the day,” the diocese wrote. Benedict plans to take the rest of the day off.

Archbishop Nikola Eterović, the apostolic nuncio in Germany, met the pope emeritus in Regensburg on Saturday. On Sunday morning in the Regensburg Cathedral, Eterović said “it is an honor to greet the retired pope in Germany again, even in this difficult family situation.”

The nuncio said his impression during his meeting with Benedict was “that he feels good here in Regensburg.”

According to the diocese, Eterović thanked “the bishop, his co-workers, the Catholics in this beautiful city, but also all residents for this respect and friendship, so that the retired pope feels at home in this city and here in Bavaria. We are all connected as members of the Catholic Church. It’s a big family all over the world.”
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/benedict-xvi-returns-to-rome-after-visiting-ill-brother-in-germany-72851

Benedict XVI returns to Rome after visiting ill brother in Germany
By Courtney Mares

Vatican City, Jun 22, 2020 / 06:00 am MT (CNA).- Pope emeritus Benedict XVI arrived back in Rome Monday after a four-day trip to Germany to visit his ailing brother.

The Diocese of Regensburg reported June 22 that 93-year-old Benedict XVI said goodbye to his 96-year-old brother, Msgr. Georg Ratzinger, who is in poor health, before departing for Munich airport.

“It is perhaps the last time that the two brothers, Georg and Joseph Ratzinger, will see each other in this world,” the Regensburg diocese said in an earlier statement.

Benedict XVI was accompanied on the journey to the airport by Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg. Before the pope emeritus boarded an Italian air force plane he was greeted by Bavaria’s premier Markus Söder. The Süddeutsche Zeitung, a German daily newspaper, quoted Söder as saying that the encounter was a moment of “joy and melancholy.”

The pope emeritus landed in Rome at 1 p.m. local time, according to Vatican News. Benedict XVI and his entourage arrived 45 minutes later at the Mater Ecclesiae monastery, his residence in the Vatican.

Speaking a press conference in Regensburg June 22, Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer praised the bond between the two brothers.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-06/pope-emeritus-benedict-xvi-returns-to-vatican.html
Pope emeritus Benedict XVI returns to the Vatican
22 June 2020, 14:00

Photos and video at the link below
https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2020/06/benedict-xvi-back-at-vatican-after-german-visit-to-brother/
Benedict XVI back at Vatican after German visit to brother
Associated Press  Jun 22, 2020

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RIP Monsignor Georg Ratzinger 

Photo gallery at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2020-07/georg-ratzinger-death-benedict-xvi-brothers.html
Georg Ratzinger, brother of Pope emeritus Benedict, dies in Regensburg
01 July 2020, 12:19

The elderly Bavarian priest had been hospitalized in Regensburg, in Bavaria, where he lived and where he received his brother Joseph’s final visit, with whom he had been ordained on the same day. (photo album included)
By Vatican News

Georg Ratzinger, the older brother of the Pope emeritus, died Wednesday morning, aged 96. He had been hospitalized in Regensburg, the city where he lived the greater part of his long life. With his death, Joseph Ratzinger – who had desired to make the journey by plane to see his dying brother one last time – remains the only member of the family still alive. The two brothers – one a musician and kappellmeister of a famous choir, the other first a theologian and then a bishop, cardinal, and finally pope - were ordained together on the same day, and were always closely united.
 
https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2020/07/retired-popes-elder-brother-georg-ratzinger-dies-at-96/
Retired pope’s elder brother, Georg Ratzinger, dies at 96
David RisingJul 1, 2020  ASSOCIATED PRESS

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-07/pope-francis-sends-condolence-letter-to-pope-emeritus-benedict.html

Pope Francis praying for Pope emeritus Benedict XVI in his time of loss
02 July 2020, 12:41

Pope Francis writes a letter to his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, following the death of his brother Georg, assuring him of his spiritual closeness and of his prayers.
By Vatican News
 
Pope Francis’s letter
To his Holiness

Benedict XVI
Pope emeritus

You had the sensitivity to be the first to inform me of the news of the death of your beloved brother, Monsignor Georg. I wish to renew my deepest sympathy and spiritual closeness to you in this moment of sorrow.

I assure you of my prayers of suffrage for the late and lamented, that the Lord of life, in His merciful goodness, may welcome him into heaven and grant him the reward prepared for faithful servants of the Gospel.

I pray also for you, Your Holiness, invoking the Father, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, for the support of Christian hope and tender divine consolation.
Always united in faith in the Risen Christ, the source of hope and peace,

Filially and fraternally,
Francis

https://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/pope-francis-expresses-condolences-to-benedict-xvi
JUL. 2, 2020
Pope Francis Expresses Condolences to Benedict XVI on Death of Brother
Regensburg diocese announces funeral of Msgr. Georg Ratzinger will take place on July 8 attended by Archbishop Georg Gänswein.
Edward Pentin

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Video, in English, at the link

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/god-bless-america---pope-john-paul-ii-pope-benedict-xvi-and-pope-francis-speak-to-the-united-states-30234
‘God bless America’ - Popes speak to the United States

CNA Staff, Jul 3, 2020 / 11:20 am MT (CNA).- Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis each made apostolic visitations to the United States during the course of their pontificates. As the United States celebrates Independence Day, CNA remembers words to America from each of those popes:
 
Pope Benedict XVI

South Lawn of the White House, April 16, 2008

I am happy to be here as a guest of all Americans. I come as a friend, a preacher of the Gospel and one with great respect for this vast pluralistic society. America’s Catholics have made, and continue to make, an excellent contribution to the life of their country. As I begin my visit, I trust that my presence will be a source of renewal and hope for the Church in the United States, and strengthen the resolve of Catholics to contribute ever more responsibly to the life of this nation, of which they are proud to be citizens.

From the dawn of the Republic, America’s quest for freedom has been guided by the conviction that the principles governing political and social life are intimately linked to a moral order based on the dominion of God the Creator. The framers of this nation’s founding documents drew upon this conviction when they proclaimed the “self-evident truth” that all men are created equal and endowed with inalienable rights grounded in the laws of nature and of nature’s God.

The course of American history demonstrates the difficulties, the struggles, and the great intellectual and moral resolve which were demanded to shape a society which faithfully embodied these noble principles. In that process, which forged the soul of the nation, religious beliefs were a constant inspiration and driving force, as for example in the struggle against slavery and in the civil rights movement. In our time too, particularly in moments of crisis, Americans continue to find their strength in a commitment to this patrimony of shared ideals and aspirations.
__

Freedom is not only a gift, but also a summons to personal responsibility. Americans know this from experience – almost every town in this country has its monuments honoring those who sacrificed their lives in defense of freedom, both at home and abroad. The preservation of freedom calls for the cultivation of virtue, self-discipline, sacrifice for the common good and a sense of responsibility towards the less fortunate. It also demands the courage to engage in civic life and to bring one’s deepest beliefs and values to reasoned public debate.

In a word, freedom is ever new. It is a challenge held out to each generation, and it must constantly be won over for the cause of good (cf. Spe Salvi, 24). Few have understood this as clearly as the late Pope John Paul II. In reflecting on the spiritual victory of freedom over totalitarianism in his native Poland and in eastern Europe, he reminded us that history shows, time and again, that “in a world without truth, freedom loses its foundation”, and a democracy without values can lose its very soul (cf. Centesimus Annus, 46).

Those prophetic words in some sense echo the conviction of President Washington, expressed in his Farewell Address, that religion and morality represent “indispensable supports” of political prosperity.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-07/georg-ratzinger-brother-of-pope-emeritus-benedict-xvi-buried-in.html
Pope emeritus Benedict XVI pens emotional letter for funeral of his brother, Georg Ratzinger
08 July 2020, 15:38

During the funeral of Georg Ratzinger, Pope emeritus Benedict XVI writes an emotional letter highlighting his brother’s vocation as priest and musician.
By Vatican News

The funeral of Father Georg Ratzinger, the brother of Pope emeritus Benedict XVI, was held on Wednesday at the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Regensburg, Germany.

Fr. Georg Ratzinger died at the age of 96 on 1 July after being hospitalized in Regensburg, the city where he lived the greater part of his life. His death came just over a week after the Pope emeritus made a visit in mid-June to Regensburg to be with his ailing brother.

Following his brother's death, Pope Francis sent a personal note of condolences to his predecessor, assuring the Pope emeritus of his prayers both for his brother and for Benedict himself.

During the funeral celebrated by Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg, Archbishop Georg Gänswein read an emotional letter written by Pope emeritus Benedict XVI for the occasion.
 
Photos at the link--
https://cruxnow.com/church-in-europe/2020/07/retired-pope-benedict-follows-his-brothers-funeral-virtually/
Retired Pope Benedict follows his brother’s funeral virtually
Catholic News Service  Jul 8, 2020

Photos at the link--
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