The Pope's Brother talks About How it is To vacation With The Pope

The Ratzinger Forum has several interesting articles up for this slow Saturday afternoon. I am going to post two they translated. This is a partial transcript with the Pope's brother. When they have a full transcript translated I will update when that occurs.


BROTHER GEORG INTERVIEWED ON LINZ RADIO

Here is a translation of a Catholic news agency report today:
Linz, August 24 (KAP) - Georg Ratzinger, the Pope's brother and former Choirmaster of the Regensburger Domspatzen, recalled today his own personal connection to the Austrian martyr Franz Jägerstätter (1907-1943), who will be beatified in Linz on October 26.

Speaking to on Oberösterreichischen Rundschau (radio), Mons, Ratzinger said he and his brother have visited Jägerstätter's home village of St. Radegund near Ostermiething. "To get through the border, one had to pay 10 Pfennig then," he recalls. "And Ostermiething was right next to the border, so we often crossed over. I remember particularly 1931, when my brother was only 4 years old, and we went to St. Radegund...Once I found a handkerchief there that no one claimed and I took it with me, using it for such a long time that I called it my St. Radegund handkerchief. And that's the place where Blessed Franz comes from.

I admire him for having been an outright anti-Nazi." The monsignor was asked about his family's Austrian roots: "My father knew that his paternal forefathers came from Upper Austria. His mother came from the Bohemian Woods. Our maternal grandmother came from Muehlbach (Val Pusteria in Italian) near Brixen (Bressanone) in the South Tyrol. My Grandfather was a Swabian. But they left the Tirol soon after they were married."

He spoke about his daily routine in Castel Gandolfo, where he spends the month of August with his brother: "We get up early and prepare ourselves for Mass, and then we have a concelebration, in which his secretary also takes part. Then, my brother prays the Breviary with me, reading it out since I can no longer read. After breakfast together, my brother begins his work. "In the mornings, someone comes to read to me. Around noon, my brother comes to get me so we can lunch together. We take a walk after that, then a siesta. Later, around 6:45, we take another walk together and we pray the rosary. "Then dinner. Around 8 p.m., we watch the TV news." And so ends the day. Mons. Georg says nothing has changed between them since Joseph became Pope: "After all, he is not only the Pope. He is also a human being, and my brother."

I am not familar with this Austrian Martyr that is about to beatified. I shall try to learn more.