ROME — Pope Francis offered his condolences and promised prayers to Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI Thursday following the passing of Benedict’s elder brother Georg, who died Wednesday at the age of 96.
In a letter dated July 2, Pope Francis thanked his predecessor for his “kindness” in being the first to inform him of the news of his brother’s passing.
“In this hour of mourning, I would like to express once again my deepest sympathy and spiritual closeness,” Francis said.
“I assure you of my prayers for the departed, so that the Lord of life, in his merciful goodness, may receive him to our heavenly homeland and grant him the reward prepared for the faithful servants of the gospel,” he continued.
“And I also pray for you, Your Holiness, invoking from the Father, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the support of Christian hope and tender divine consolation,” he concluded.
In an unusual move, Emeritus Pope Benedict jetted off to Regensburg, Germany, on June 18 to visit the last remaining member of his family, his brother, Georg Ratzinger, who was reported to be very unwell. The two brothers were quite close and were ordained priests together on June 29, 1951.
“From the beginning of my life my brother has always been for me not only a companion, but also a reliable guide,” Pope Benedict said of Georg in 2008. “With the clarity and determination of his decisions, he was a point of orientation and reference for me. He always showed me the way to go, even in difficult situations.”
For his part, Georg Ratzinger was outspoken and unfamiliar with diplomacy. He never hid his disappointment over his brother’s election to the papacy in April 2005.
“I must admit that I did not expect it and I was a little disappointed,” he said. “Given his heavy commitments, I understood that our relationship would have to be significantly reduced. In any case, behind the human decision of the cardinals is the will of God, and to this we must say yes.”