Pope Benedict XVI stunned the world Monday with the announcement that he will resign at the end of February, but his brother said that he had been mulling the end of his papacy for months.
According to Georg Ratzinger, the pontiff’s brother, Pope Benedict XVI had been advised by doctors not to embark on any more transatlantic trips and had been considering a resignation for months, the Associated Press reported.
From the AP:
Talking from his home in Regensburg to the news agency dpa, Georg Ratzinger said his brother was having increasing difficulty walking and that his resignation was part of a “natural process.”
“His age is weighing on him,” the 89-year-old said of his 85-year-old brother. “At this age my brother wants more rest.”
