Georg Ratzinger, um padre católico romano e célebre mestre do coro que era o irmão mais velho de Bento XVI, o papa emérito, morreu quarta-feira em Regensburg, Alemanha, onde viveu a maior parte de sua vida. Ele tinha 96 anos.
A notícia de sua morte, disponibilizada à RECOWA-CERAO através do repórter anexado ao escritório de comunicações da Agência de Notícias RECOWACERAO, foi confirmada pela diocese em Regensburg. Ratzinger sofria de uma doença grave que a diocese não identificou. Bento viajou do Vaticano para ver seu irmão na Alemanha no mês passado.
Embora Ratzinger tivesse muito em comum com seu irmão mais novo – eles foram ordenados para o sacerdócio católico no mesmo ano e ambos tocavam piano – o Ratzinger mais velho tinha uma carreira independente do Vaticano, o mundo que tanto consumiu a vida de seu irmão.
Depois de estudar música em Munique e servir como diretor de coral em várias igrejas alemãs, Ratzinger tornou-se diretor de música na Catedral de São Pedro do século 10 em Regensburg, uma cidade a cerca de 120 quilômetros a nordeste de Munique. Ele serviu como diretor de coral de um dos grandes coros infantis da Europa, o Regensburg Domspatzen – Domspatzen significa Cathedral Sparrows – de 1964 a 1994.
Ele liderou o coro em turnês nos Estados Unidos, Escandinávia, Canadá, Taiwan, Japão, Irlanda, Polônia, Hungria e Vaticano. Ele também supervisionou a gravação profissional de inúmeras obras, incluindo J.S. “Christmas Oratorio” de Bach e “Psalmen Davids” de Heinrich Schutz.
Em 1977, Ratzinger conduziu o coro na consagração de seu irmão como arcebispo de Munique e Freising. Joseph Ratzinger foi nomeado cardeal pouco depois e se tornou o papa Bento XVI em 2005, após a morte do papa João Paulo II.
Georg Ratzinger também foi o autor de “Meu irmão, o Papa” (2011), um livro de memórias que foi escrito por Michael Hesemann. Ele disse a Hesemann que a dinâmica entre os irmãos mudou depois de 2005. Ele lembrou com carinho que, durante grande parte de sua vida, Joseph Ratzinger se apresentaria como “o irmão mais novo do famoso diretor de coral”. Mas depois do conclave que fez seu irmão papa, ele acrescentou, ele ficou conhecido principalmente como “o irmão do papa”.
A reminiscência foi um pouco exagerada; mesmo antes de emergir como papa em 2005, Joseph Ratzinger era bem conhecido no cenário mundial como executor teológico de João Paulo de posições estritas sobre doutrina, moralidade e primazia da fé. Ele desempenhou esse papel por mais de duas décadas como prefeito da Congregação do Vaticano para a Doutrina da Fé, antes conhecido como Santo Ofício.
Em 2010, muito depois que Georg Ratzinger deixou o cargo de diretor de coral, vários dos meninos que cantaram na catedral de Regensburg acusaram que haviam sido sistematicamente abusados pelos funcionários. Na época, Ratzinger se desculpou por dar um tapa nos meninos durante seu mandato. Ele disse que parou de administrar o castigo corporal quando a igreja o proibiu em 1980.
Mais tarde, o coro iniciou uma investigação e contratou um advogado, Ulrich Weber, para investigar outras alegações de espancamentos, tortura e abuso sexual. Weber concluiu que mais de 500 meninos foram abusados por várias décadas. Ratzinger não estava envolvido no relatório. Questionado em uma entrevista coletiva em 2016 se o diretor do coral sabia do abuso, Weber disse: “Depois da minha pesquisa, devo assumir isso”.
Alguns dias depois, Ratzinger deu uma entrevista a um jornal da Baviera, Passauer Neue Presse, e negou qualquer conhecimento do abuso. “Eu não ouvi nada sobre abuso sexual”, disse ele. “Eu não sabia que qualquer abuso sexual estava ocorrendo naquele momento”.
Georg Ratzinger nasceu em 15 de janeiro de 1924, em Pleiskirchen, Baviera, filho de Joseph Ratzinger, policial, e Maria (Peintner) Ratzinger, que, antes de se casar, trabalhava como cozinheira e empregada doméstica. Georg foi o segundo de três filhos; ele tinha uma irmã mais velha, Maria, que morreu em 1991, e seu irmão, Joseph, nasceu em 1927.
A família mudou-se várias vezes por causa do trabalho do pai e, mais tarde, por causa de sua oposição franca a Hitler. “Nossos pais não escondiam o fato de serem anti-nazistas e desprezavam Hitler de todo o coração”, escreveu Ratzinger nas memórias.
O mais velho Joseph Ratzinger costumava trabalhar aos domingos e, quando não estava trabalhando, adorava cantar no coral da igreja. “Devo admitir”, escreveu Ratzinger, “raramente fomos à missa juntos”. A maioria da família orando, disse ele, veio à mesa do jantar:
“Todos os dias oramos juntos e, de fato, antes e depois de cada refeição (tomamos café da manhã, jantar e ceia juntos). O horário principal da oração era depois do jantar do meio-dia, quando as preocupações particulares da família eram expressas”.
Georg entrou no Seminário Menor Arquidiocesano de São Miguel em Traunstein, no sudeste da Baviera, e seu irmão mais novo o seguiu alguns anos depois. “Cuide bem de Joseph”, sua mãe instruiu Georg quando ela enviou Joseph.
“Já em 1938”, escreveu Ratzinger, “éramos registrados no seminário na Juventude Hitlerista”. Era a lei, ele disse. “Não houve isenções.”
Ambos os jovens seminaristas foram recrutados mais tarde para o exército alemão. Georg foi baleado no braço em um tiroteio com tropas americanas em Bolsena, Itália, em 12 de junho de 1944. Ele foi mantido como prisioneiro de guerra pelo exército dos EUA na região de Nápoles antes de ser libertado em 1945 e retornar à Alemanha.
Os irmãos permaneceram próximos e o mais novo ensinou na Universidade de Regensburg antes de ser nomeado arcebispo. No livro de memórias de 2011, Hesemann perguntou a Ratzinger se os dois padres assistiam televisão juntos no Vaticano.
“Bem, antes do noticiário, havia uma série de televisão ‘Inspector Rex'”, respondeu Ratzinger. “Nós sempre assistíamos, porque também gostamos de cães. Conhecemos Herr Helmut Brossmann, o dono do pastor alemão Rex, que interpreta o papel principal. Ele vive nas proximidades de Regensburg”.
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RECOWACERAO NEWS AGENCY, RECONA, porte-parole officiel de RECOWA-CERAO, au nom du conseil présidentiel de RECOWA-CERAO, sous la direction de son excellence, l’archevêque Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, rend un hommage particulier à Georg Ratzinger, un prêtre catholique romain et célèbre chef de chœur qui était le frère aîné de Benoît XVI, le pape émérite. Cet homme de Dieu brillant et exemplaire est décédé mercredi à Ratisbonne, en Allemagne, où il avait vécu la majeure partie de sa vie. Il avait 96 ans.
Georg Ratzinger, un prêtre catholique romain et chef de choeur célèbre qui était le frère aîné de Benoît XVI, le pape émérite, est décédé mercredi à Ratisbonne, en Allemagne, où il avait vécu pendant la majeure partie de sa vie. Il avait 96 ans.
La nouvelle de sa mort, communiquée à RECOWA-CERAO par le biais du journaliste attaché au bureau des communications de RECOWACERAO NEWS AGENCY, a été confirmée par le diocèse de Ratisbonne. Ratzinger souffrait d’une maladie grave, que le diocèse n’a pas identifiée. Benoît s’est rendu du Vatican pour voir son frère en Allemagne le mois dernier.
Alors que Ratzinger avait beaucoup en commun avec son frère cadet – ils ont été ordonnés prêtrise catholique la même année et ils ont tous deux joué du piano – l’aîné Ratzinger a eu une carrière indépendante du Vatican, le monde qui a tellement consommé la vie de son frère.
Après avoir étudié la musique à Munich et servi comme directeur de choeur dans diverses églises allemandes, Ratzinger est devenu le directeur musical de la cathédrale Saint-Pierre du Xe siècle à Ratisbonne, une ville située à environ 120 km au nord-est de Munich. Il a été chef de chœur de l’un des grands chœurs d’enfants d’Europe, le Regensburg Domspatzen – Domspatzen signifie Cathedral Sparrows – de 1964 à 1994.
Il a dirigé la chorale lors de tournées de concerts aux États-Unis, en Scandinavie, au Canada, à Taiwan, au Japon, en Irlande, en Pologne, en Hongrie et au Vatican. Il a également supervisé l’enregistrement professionnel de nombreuses œuvres, dont J.S. “L’Oratorio de Noël” de Bach et “Psalmen Davids” de Heinrich Schutz.
En 1977, Ratzinger dirigeait la chorale lors de la consécration de son frère en tant qu’archevêque de Munich et Freising. Joseph Ratzinger a été nommé cardinal peu de temps après et est devenu pape Benoît XVI en 2005, après la mort du pape Jean-Paul II.
Georg Ratzinger a également été l’auteur de «Mon frère, le pape» (2011), un mémoire sur mesure écrit avec Michael Hesemann. Il a dit à Hesemann que la dynamique entre les frères et sœurs a changé après 2005. Il a rappelé avec tendresse que pendant une grande partie de sa vie, Joseph Ratzinger se présenterait comme “le petit frère du célèbre directeur de chœur”. Mais après le conclave qui a fait son frère pape, a-t-il ajouté, il est devenu principalement connu comme “le frère du pape”.
La réminiscence était un peu exagérée; avant même qu’il ne devienne pape en 2005, Joseph Ratzinger était bien connu sur la scène mondiale en tant que responsable théologique de Jean-Paul des positions strictes sur la doctrine, la moralité et la primauté de la foi. Il a assumé ce rôle pendant plus de deux décennies en tant que préfet de la Congrégation du Vatican pour la doctrine de la foi, autrefois connue sous le nom de Saint-Office.
En 2010, longtemps après que Georg Ratzinger eut quitté ses fonctions de chef de chœur, plusieurs des garçons qui ont chanté à la cathédrale de Ratisbonne ont accusé d’avoir été systématiquement maltraités par le personnel. À l’époque, Ratzinger s’est excusé d’avoir giflé des garçons pendant son mandat. Il a dit qu’il avait cessé d’administrer des châtiments corporels lorsque l’église les a interdits en 1980.
Plus tard, la chorale a ouvert une enquête et engagé un avocat, Ulrich Weber, pour enquêter sur d’autres allégations de passages à tabac, de torture et d’abus sexuels. Weber a conclu que plus de 500 garçons avaient été maltraités en plusieurs décennies. Ratzinger n’était pas impliqué dans le rapport. Interrogé lors d’une conférence de presse en 2016 pour savoir si le chef de chœur était au courant des abus, Weber a répondu: “Après mes recherches, je dois le supposer.”
Quelques jours plus tard, Ratzinger a accordé une interview à un journal bavarois, Passauer Neue Presse, et a nié toute connaissance des abus. “Je n’ai rien entendu du tout sur les abus sexuels”, a-t-il déclaré. “Je ne savais pas qu’il y avait eu d’abus sexuels à ce moment-là.”
Georg Ratzinger est né le 15 janvier 1924 à Pleiskirchen, en Bavière, de Joseph Ratzinger, un officier de police, et de Maria (Peintner) Ratzinger, qui, avant de se marier, travaillait comme cuisinière et femme de ménage. Georg était le deuxième de trois enfants; il avait une sœur aînée, Maria, décédée en 1991, et son frère, Joseph, est né en 1927.
La famille a déménagé plusieurs fois à cause du travail du père et, plus tard, à cause de son opposition ouverte à Hitler. “Nos parents n’ont pas caché qu’ils étaient anti-nazis et méprisaient Hitler de tout cœur”, a écrit Ratzinger dans les mémoires.
L’aîné Joseph Ratzinger travaillait souvent le dimanche, et quand il ne travaillait pas, il aimait chanter dans la chorale de l’église. “Je dois admettre”, écrivait Ratzinger, “que nous allions rarement à la messe ensemble.” La plupart des membres de la famille en prière, a-t-il dit, sont venus à la table du dîner:
“Chaque jour, nous avons prié ensemble, et en fait avant et après chaque repas (nous avons pris notre petit-déjeuner, notre dîner et notre dîner ensemble). La principale heure de prière était après le dîner de midi, lorsque les préoccupations particulières de la famille ont été exprimées.”
Georg est entré au petit séminaire archidiocésain St. Michael à Traunstein, dans le sud-est de la Bavière, et son jeune frère l’a suivi quelques années plus tard. “Prends bien soin de Joseph”, a dit sa mère à Georg lorsqu’elle a envoyé Joseph.
“Dès 1938”, écrivait Ratzinger, “nous étions inscrits au séminaire auprès de la jeunesse hitlérienne.” C’était la loi, a-t-il dit. “Il n’y a eu aucune exemption.”
Les deux jeunes séminaristes ont ensuite été enrôlés dans l’armée allemande. Le 12 juin 1944, Georg a reçu une balle dans le bras lors d’une fusillade avec des troupes américaines à Bolsena, en Italie. Il a été détenu comme prisonnier de guerre par l’armée américaine dans la région de Naples avant d’être libéré en 1945 et de retourner en Allemagne.
Les frères sont restés proches et le plus jeune a enseigné à l’Université de Ratisbonne avant d’être nommé archevêque. Dans les mémoires de 2011, Hesemann a demandé à Ratzinger si les deux prêtres regardaient la télévision ensemble au Vatican.
“Eh bien, avant les nouvelles, il y avait autrefois une série télévisée” Inspecteur Rex “.”, A répondu Ratzinger. “Nous avions toujours l’habitude de le regarder, parce que nous aimons aussi les chiens. Nous connaissons bien Herr Helmut Brossmann, le propriétaire du berger allemand Rex, qui joue le rôle-titre. Il vit dans les environs de Ratisbonne.”
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RECOWACERAO NEWS AGENCY, RECONA, the official mouthpiece of RECOWA-CERAO, in the name of the presidential council of RECOWA-CERAO, under the leadership of his excellency, Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, pays special tribute to Georg Ratzinger, a Roman Catholic priest and celebrated choirmaster who was the older brother of Benedict XVI, the pope emeritus. This brilliant and exemplary man of God died Wednesday in Regensburg, Germany, where he had lived for most of his life. He was 96.
Georg Ratzinger, a Roman Catholic priest and celebrated choirmaster who was the older brother of Benedict XVI, the pope emeritus, died Wednesday in Regensburg, Germany, where he had lived for most of his life. He was 96.
The news of his death, made available to RECOWA-CERAO through the reporter attached to the Communications office of RECOWACERAO NEWS AGENCY was confirmed by the diocese in Regensburg. Ratzinger had been suffering from a serious illness, which the diocese did not identify. Benedict traveled from the Vatican to see his brother in Germany last month.
While Ratzinger had a lot in common with his younger brother — they were ordained to the Catholic priesthood the same year, and they both played piano — the elder Ratzinger had a career independent of the Vatican, the world that so consumed his brother’s life.
After studying music in Munich and serving as a choral director in various German churches, Ratzinger became the music director at the 10th-century St. Peter’s Cathedral in Regensburg, a city about 75 miles northeast of Munich. He served as choirmaster of one of Europe’s great children’s choirs, the Regensburg Domspatzen — Domspatzen means Cathedral Sparrows — from 1964 to 1994.
He led the choir on concert tours to the United States, Scandinavia, Canada, Taiwan, Japan, Ireland, Poland, Hungary, and the Vatican. He also oversaw the professional recording of numerous works, including J.S. Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio” and Heinrich Schutz’s “Psalmen Davids.”
In 1977, Ratzinger conducted the choir at his brother’s consecration as archbishop of Munich and Freising. Joseph Ratzinger was named a cardinal shortly after and became Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, after the death of Pope John Paul II.
Georg Ratzinger was also the author of “My Brother, the Pope” (2011), an as-told-to memoir written with Michael Hesemann. He told Hesemann that the dynamics between the siblings shifted after 2005. He fondly recalled that for much of his life, Joseph Ratzinger would introduce himself as “the little brother of the famous choral director.” But after the conclave that made his brother pope, he added, he became known primarily as “the brother of the pope.”
The reminiscence was a bit overstated; even before he emerged as pope in 2005, Joseph Ratzinger was well known on the world stage as John Paul’s theological enforcer of strict positions on doctrine, morality, and the primacy of the faith. He carried out that role for more than two decades as the prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, once known as the Holy Office.
In 2010, long after Georg Ratzinger had stepped down as choirmaster, several of the boys who sang at the Regensburg cathedral charged that they had been systematically abused by the staff. At the time, Ratzinger apologized for slapping boys during his tenure. He said he stopped administering corporal punishment when the church banned it in 1980.
The choir later started an investigation and hired a lawyer, Ulrich Weber, to look into further allegations of beatings, torture, and sexual abuse. Weber concluded that more than 500 boys had been abused over several decades. Ratzinger was not implicated in the report. Asked at a 2016 news conference whether the choirmaster knew of the abuse, Weber said, “After my research, I must assume so.”
A few days later, Ratzinger gave an interview to a Bavarian newspaper, Passauer Neue Presse, and denied any knowledge of the abuse. “I did not hear anything at all about sexual abuse,” he said. “I was not aware that any sexual abuse was taking place at that time.”
Georg Ratzinger was born on Jan. 15, 1924, in Pleiskirchen, Bavaria, to Joseph Ratzinger, a police officer, and Maria (Peintner) Ratzinger, who, before getting married, worked as a cook and housekeeper. Georg was the second of three children; he had an older sister, Maria, who died in 1991, and his brother, Joseph, was born in 1927.
The family moved several times because of the father’s work and, later, because of his outspoken opposition to Hitler. “Our parents made no secret of the fact that they were anti-Nazi and despised Hitler wholeheartedly,” Ratzinger wrote in the memoir.
The senior Joseph Ratzinger often worked Sundays, and when he wasn’t working he loved to sing in the church choir. “I must admit,” Ratzinger wrote, “we seldom went to Mass together.” Most of the family praying, he said, came at the dinner table:
“Every day we prayed together, and in fact before and after each meal (we ate our breakfast, dinner, and supper together). The main prayer time was after the midday dinner when the particular concerns of the family were expressed.”
Georg entered St. Michael’s Archdiocesan Minor Seminary in Traunstein, in southeastern Bavaria, and his younger brother followed him a few years later. “Take good care of Joseph,” his mother instructed Georg when she sent Joseph.
“As early as 1938,” Ratzinger wrote, “we were registered by the seminary with the Hitler Youth.” It was the law, he said. “There were no exemptions.”
Both young seminarians were later conscripted into the German army. Georg was shot through the arm in a firefight with American troops in Bolsena, Italy, on June 12, 1944. He was held as a prisoner of war by the U.S. Army in the Naples area before being released in 1945 and returning to Germany.
The brothers remained close, and the younger one taught at the University of Regensburg before he was named an archbishop. In the 2011 memoir, Hesemann asked Ratzinger if the two priests watched television together at the Vatican.
“Well, before the news, there used to be a television series ‘Inspector Rex.'” Ratzinger replied. “We always used to watch it, because we like dogs, too. We are well acquainted with Herr Helmut Brossmann, the owner of the German shepherd Rex, who plays the title role. He lives in the vicinity of Regensburg.”
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