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Pope Benedict XVI celebrates Christmas with the Regensburger Domspatzen - and in memory of his brother

2021-12-20T17:06:36.632Z


Pope Benedict XVI celebrates Christmas with the Regensburger Domspatzen - and in memory of his brother Created: 12/20/2021, 6:00 PM Pope emeritus Benedict XVI. remembers his deceased brother Georg at Christmas. © Sven Hoppe / dpa / archive Joseph Ratzinger is 94 years old and still “bright” in his head. His secretary tells how he will spend Christmas and who he will miss.  Regensburg - How doe


Pope Benedict XVI

celebrates Christmas with the Regensburger Domspatzen - and in memory of his brother

Created: 12/20/2021, 6:00 PM

Pope emeritus Benedict XVI.

remembers his deceased brother Georg at Christmas.

© Sven Hoppe / dpa / archive

Joseph Ratzinger is 94 years old and still “bright” in his head.

His secretary tells how he will spend Christmas and who he will miss. 

Regensburg - How does a Pope celebrate Christmas?

Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI., Has not been in office since 2013, but his secretary, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, gives an insight into Ratzinger's plans for the festival.

In an interview with the

Mittelbayerische

, he tells how he spends Christmas with Benedikt. 

(By the way: Our brand new Regensburg newsletter informs you regularly about all the important stories from the world cultural heritage city. Register here.)

Regensburg: The former Pope Benedict has not yet lost his sense of humor 

Ratzinger is "stable in weakness, but thank God he is bright in the head - and that is the decisive factor".

Above all, the 94-year-old has not lost his sense of humor.

Although he longs for his Bavarian homeland, the visit of Regensburg Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer would have helped him with his longing.

And Bishop Rudolf had even more in his luggage.  

Because he likes to collect cribs, he has brought Benedict a special copy that is now with Benedict in the Mater Ecclesiae monastery in Rome.

Gänswein explains why it is so special: “That was an announced surprise.

But he was very happy because the crib is special, it has a snow roof.

And this is the first time in Rome that a nativity scene with snow can be seen on the roof. " 

Regensburg: Ratzinger spends Christmas in a small group

But Benedikt will miss one thing in particular: For the second time, he will have to celebrate Christmas without his brother Georg Ratzinger. He used to be the director of the Regensburger Domspatzen and always traveled to Rome over Christmas to visit his brother, as the

Mittelbayerische

writes. Georg Ratzinger passed away in summer 2020. Now he is “present in his music”, says Gänswein. Because the Regensburger Domspatzen are the "music program of Benedict" at Christmas. 

We celebrate in a small group. Only six people will keep the former pontiff company on Christmas Eve. This is how Benedict has always handled it, Gänswein told the daily newspaper. "We have been doing it since 2005," revealed the private secretary. "Just as he celebrated it as Archbishop in Munich, it was also in Rome in the Palazzo and it is also now in Mater Ecclesiae." There will also be nuns who do the housework at the papal retirement home.

At Christmas there is a Christmas tree and a crib, now the said new crib from Regensburg.

“And of course there are also delicacies that he likes.

They'll also be on the table at Christmas. ”The secretary didn't want to reveal which ones they are.

It is known, however, that Benedict is a “sweetie”.

So he loves sweets. 

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2021-12-20

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