Georg Msgr. Ratzinger’s new book, My Brother, the Pope, is a series of interviews that German journalist Michael Hesemann gave to Msgr. Ratzinger. It is the first book published in Germany and it brings new insights into the private life of the Ratzinger family.
Hesemann, born in Düsseldorf in 1964, studied cultural anthropology and history at the University of Göttingen. Since 1999, he has written several bestselling books on Christian archaeology and Church history, which are published by the accredited Office Press.
Recently, Ignatius Press in the United States published and Michael Miller translated into English the book written by Pope Benedict XVI, My Brother. Robert Rauhut, a correspondent with the Register, spoke about the project with Hesemann.
Monsignor Ratzinger has been cautious when it comes to public interviews. What was the motivation to write a book of this kind?
They indeed became a unique testimony; and, I think it was his responsibility to document them for future generations and collect his memories. Eventually, after a few hesitant weeks, he agreed and felt that it was his responsibility. I took the opportunity to confront him with my idea and eventually introduced him to Georg Ratzinger in December 2010. Nothing happened and I waited for five years, but I knew that someone else would eventually do it and I didn’t have enough time. I needed a publisher for my book in two weeks, but I knew that someone else would eventually do it and I didn’t have enough time. At that time, I already had the idea that the interview with Joseph Ratzinger’s brother, who witnessed his formative years and childhood, would be important to the biography of the new Pope. After Benedict XVI’s election, I was commissioned by my publisher to write a biography for the young participants of the World Youth Day in Cologne.
Did Pope Benedict XVI have any involvement in the creation of this book?
It is important that a neutral and competent person, who can no longer read well due to eye problems, reads the book before it is published. We wanted to avoid any mistakes and ensure that it is well read. Although he took the time to make minor corrections, I am very grateful. When he visited his brother, the Pope, in June 2011, he had given him a copy of the unpublished manuscript that I had shown to him before it could be published. I am sure he told his brother about our common project.
How many books are there now about Pope Benedict XVI? What’s special about the book that my brother, Pope Benedict, is currently reading? As a fan of Ratzinger, what new aspect does he know about from reading the book?
The Nazis killed a relative, such as the fact that we acquire many new details. Furthermore, as a role model for his sibling, Georg felt his calling three years earlier and undeniably fulfilled it, to some extent. Always “inseparable,” a highly harmonious pair of siblings remained brothers throughout their entire lives, as is customarily said in Germany. Three years senior, Msgr. Georg Ratzinger is the older brother of Pope Benedict. With insider knowledge and understanding like this, no other book written about him can compare to the Holy Father’s own memoirs – a rather small booklet he published while still a cardinal. Who could possibly know him better than his own brother? Undoubtedly, the most intimate biography of the Holy Father is My Brother, the Pope.
Georg Ratzinger possesses an astonishing memory, doesn’t he?
Certainly, he possesses an exceptional memory. He can still recall the names of many individuals he met a decade ago — his brother has the same exceptional memory. I must admit that I didn’t have the accuracy to describe things like he did; he described everything just like it was. I discovered his descriptions to be incredibly precise, and if all the details were to be verified, they would resemble the descriptions of Msgr. Ratzinger. To gain a better understanding and have a better idea, I decided to visit all the places mentioned in the book and check if they matched the descriptions. After interviewing him for a week, I decided to visit him one afternoon and the next morning, in order to get a more comprehensive view.
In the past, we have experienced various attempts to address the mischaracterization of Benedict’s Pope Ratzinger’s family values and activities during the Nazi era, through this book that aims to reduce the connection to that era.
He never joined the Nazi Party, and since he didn’t want to serve the Nazi regime, he couldn’t wait for his retirement. He referred to Hitler as the “Antichrist”; he despised them. Although it was a step down in his career ladder, he was advised to request a transfer to a village, and the Nazis complained about him when the small-town policeman, who was the father of the Pope, stopped attending Nazi Party meetings and rallies. You could hardly find a family more different from the Ratzingers, well.
They wanted to ensure greater security for their family by buying a house, as they saw a possible devaluation of the money they had already saved for retirement. They did not want to stay in a flat or office like policemen. He wanted to create security. After Joseph Ratzinger Sr. Told his family prophetically and nearly frankly that they would soon have a war, they decided to buy a house. Just after the Nazis came to power, Fritz Gerlich, the chief editor of the anti-Nazi Catholic newspaper Der Gerade Weg, whom he subscribed to, was murdered.
Rather than instructing Nazi principles at a Nazi institution, she opted to work as a lawyer’s assistant after the Nazis gained control and declined pursuing further education. Their elder sibling, Maria Ratzinger, who had aspired to become an educator since childhood and was a bright young woman, managed to avoid enrolling in the Hitler Youth and attending the entire class by expressing her disinterest to her school instructor. Eventually, the instructor permitted her to remain at home. The seminarians of their generation were ridiculed by the Nazi boys, and the decision of both brothers to enlist in the seminary was also a form of protest against the Nazis.
Among them were the Ratzingers, individuals who endured significant hardships, even amidst the Nazi regime; there existed a handful of devout Catholics in Germany.
Considering your conversations with Msgr. Ratzinger, how would you describe the connection between Blessed John Paul II and Joseph Ratzinger’s attributes, which you can also explore by reading the book?
After perusing one of his literary works, he realized he was the suitable individual to serve as his theological counselor; thus, he required Cardinal Ratzinger. However, he was not a mere abstract theologian, John Paul II was arguably the most eminent evangelist in history. It was a bond founded on both camaraderie and admiration.
Rome, despite his lack of ambition throughout his life, always declined Ratzinger’s request to come to him. Only when he was asked for the third time did he agree to follow the Pope’s obedience and respect. Even during his retirement, he was always looking forward to staying a little longer when regularly asked by John Paul II.
Eventually, after the death of the Pope, Cardinal Ratzinger, who hoped to spend more time in Bavaria, together with his brother, travel, and write some new books, replaced them all and destroyed these nice human plans when they gathered for God’s plan in the conclave.
George Ratzinger was extremely astonished to witness his brother being elected as the Pope, wasn’t he? How has their relationship evolved?
With this fresh circumstance, both of them acquired the skill of adapting. Meanwhile, it was the recently appointed Pope who attempted to contact his sibling, a realization that dawned upon him when his housemaid answered the persistently ringing telephone. He refrained from answering the phone for an entire day due to his profound desolation. Undeniably, he was utterly devastated.
They maintain a strong bond. In order to visit his brother, Georg Ratzinger makes the journey to Rome or Castel Gandolfo for approximately 10 days, at least four times annually. Specifically for this reason, he acquired a dedicated phone, on which The Holy Father contacts Georg Ratzinger every alternate evening.
Were you personally impressed by spending so much time with the Pope’s brother? Has this book altered your perspective on the pontificate in any way?
What impressed me the most was how the Ratzinger family, who raised two sons, each a genius in their own right, one being St. Peter’s 265th successor and the greatest German theologian, Joseph Ratzinger, and the other being Georg Ratzinger, a world-famous choir leader, composer, and musician, came from a simple and humble background, with their father working as a hotel cook and their mother as a country policeman.
They observed the festivals of the Church calendar; they attended church consistently; while kneeling on the kitchen floor, they devoutly recited the Rosary together on a daily basis; I eventually discovered that the unwavering Catholic belief and deep devotion of this family served as their wellspring of motivation.
The strong love within this family became a powerful source of unity, helping them overcome the temptations of these turbulent times, which were caused by their vocation and blasphemous Nazi ideology. Common devotion and prayer became the source that immune them against these challenges.
I strongly believe that when we bring prayer back into our families, we can overcome the crisis of having only vocations that do not happen.
Begin to reexplore the advantages of communal worship, of a spiritual existence, in the case of households, how many familial issues, separations, and dependencies can be prevented?
By the divine providence of the omnipotent God, he was often placed in unexpected positions through unseen means. I learned how he managed to get there by his own strength, but he never desired to be in such a position. He sees himself as a simple worker in the vineyard of the Lord, and I have encountered this humble and almost shy man before. This book has confirmed that his work has intensified, but my perception of Pope Benedict has not changed. Well,
Correspondent Robert Rauhut writes from Berlin in his registration.