Author reflects on interview with Pope Benedict’s brother
February 28, 2012
Reflecting upon My Brother, the Pope,--his newly published book-length interview with Msgr. Georg Ratzinger--Michael Hesemann finds “not only an inspiration for young men who are called to the priesthood, but, first of all, a lesson for each and every one of us who lives in a family.”
“We all know how many families split today, suffer from mistrust, discord, divorce,” says Hesemann. “The Ratzinger family is a model for every family, since it was and still is just based on love and mutual respect. This family was so strong that it overcame all the turbulences of a troubled time indeed, even the terror of the Nazis and the brutality of World War II. They just resisted the Zeitgeist; they were obviously immune against the temptations and influences from outside.”
“It was painful for Monsignor Georg Ratzinger to remember the tragic moments in their family life: the death of their beloved parents and their wonderful sister Maria, who literally sacrificed her life for Joseph, her youngest brother,” Hesemann adds. “At some moments, he literally had tears in his eyes, so deeply he was moved. It was obvious how much his family means for him.”
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