Pope Benedict XVI is looking forward to a peaceful old age spent alongside his elder brother Georg as he enters ''the last stage'' of his life.The pope made his comments on Thursday during a ceremony to make Georg Ratzinger an honorary citizen of Castel Gandolfo, the lakeside town outside Rome where Benedict has his summer residence.
''We have arrived at the last stage of our lives, at old age, and the days left to live grow progressively fewer,'' Benedict, 81, told his 83-year-old brother.
''But even at this stage my brother helps me to accept the weight of each day with serenity, humility and courage. I thank him,'' the pope said.
''From the beginning of my life my brother has always been not only a companion for me but a trustworthy guide, a point of reference with the clarity and determination of his decisions. He showed me the road to take, even in difficult situations,'' he added.
The pope thanked Castel Gandolfo town council for honouring his brother, saying the town ''if it's possible, has become even dearer to my heart''.
Georg Ratzinger, also a priest, was formerly the director of the Regensburg Cathedral choir.
He accompanied the pope during his two-week stay in the northern Italian mountain town of Bressanone earlier this month, where the pair had a grand piano installed at the medieval seminary where they were staying.
Ratzinger is continuing his summer holidays in Castel Gandolfo.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Disclaimer
No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.
The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.
Sacerdos
(Source: Ansa)