Retired Pope Benedict XVI’s Older Brother, Monsignor Georg Ratzinger, Dies at 96

Monsignor Georg Ratzinger, the older brother of Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI, has died at the age of 96.

The Regensburg diocese in Bavaria, where Ratzinger lived, said in a statement that Georg Ratzinger died on Wednesday, July 1.

His death came just over a week after Benedict made a four-day visit to Regensburg to be with his ailing brother.

The Diocese of Regensburg issued a statement asking the public to respect his privacy and that of his brother.

It is perhaps the last time that the two brothers, Georg and Joseph Ratzinger, will see each other in this world,’ Regensburg diocese spokesman Clemens Neck said at the time.

Msgr. Ratzinger born in Bavaria on January 15, 1924, as the first son of Joseph and Maria Ratzinger.

He showed an early talent for music, and started playing the church organ at age 11. He also went on to serve as the choirmaster of the Regensburger Domspatzen, the cathedral choir of Regensburg, from 1964 to 1994.

Msgr. Ratzinger and his brother Benedict attended seminary together after World War II and were ordained to the priesthood together in 1951.

Vatican News, in a report on his death, recalled that in a 2011 interview Georg Ratzinger said: “My brother and I were both altar boys, we both served Mass. It was soon clear to us, first to me and then to him, that our life would be at the service of the Church.”