Georg Ratzinger, brother of the outgoing Pope Benedict XVI, answers journalists' questions during a media opportunity in his home in Regensburg, southern Germany, Tuesday, Feb 12, 2013. Pope Benedict XVI did what no pope has done in more than half a millennium, stunning the world by announcing his resignation Monday and leaving the already troubled Catholic Church to replace the leader of its 1 billion followers by Easter. (AP Photo/Frank Jordans)

BERLIN (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI's brother says he spoke with the pontiff after his surprise announcement that he was stepping down and that the 85-year-old is not planning on moving back to his German homeland after his retirement.

Georg Ratzinger, the pope's 89-year-old brother, said Tuesday that it made more sense for Benedict to stay in the Vatican.

"You don't transplant an old tree," Ratzinger told a small group of reporters at his home in Regensburg, a small city in southern Germany.

Ratzinger says his brother intends to lead a quiet life out of the public eye, and wasn't planning on publishing any more works.

He says "I don't think he will write anymore."

Ratzinger says he's already planning a visit to go see his brother later in the year.
Associated Press
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