Pope's brother: Pontiff was troubled by butler's revelations

As Catholics worldwide come to terms with the news that Pope Benedict XVI is abdicating his position, becoming the first pope to do so in more than 700 years, Georg Ratzinger, the pope's brother, says the aging process is impacting him "body and soul." NBC's Richard Engel reports.

By Carlo Angerer and Ian Johnston, NBC News

Pope Benedict XVI was troubled by "some great challenges" during his time in office -- including allegations of corruption within the church that were illegally exposed by his former butler and his relationship with a controversial Catholic brotherhood -- the pontiff’s brother said Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters in Germany, Georg Ratzinger said the pope was “doing relatively well” and his announcement Monday that he was going to stand down had not had an effect on his health.

Slideshow: The life of Pope Benedict XVI

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Joseph Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI in 2005. Look back at his life from childhood through his papacy.

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On Monday, Benedict, 85, explained his resignation, saying that the papacy required “strength of mind and body” and his had deteriorated in recent months. On Tuesday, the Vatican acknowledged for the first time that the pope has had a pacemaker for years and that its battery was replaced a few months ago in secret, Reuters reported.

“But you notice that the aging process impacts body and soul, and especially on his strength," Ratzinger said Tuesday. "And he thinks that with a reduced workload he couldn't carry on this great responsibility, that a younger person is needed to capture the problems of today's time and who has the power to do what has to be done.”

'Indiscretions'
Ratzinger said the pope’s time in office had “created great challenges for him,” highlighting two particular issues that concerned his brother.

"Within the church a lot of things happened, which brought up troubles, for example the relationship to the Pius Brotherhood or the irregularities within the Vatican, where the butler had let known indiscretions,” he said.

“These were emotional years, but with God's help and his own commitment, I think he mastered it rather well,” he added.

Ratzinger did not specify the pope’s issues with the Pius Brotherhood, or Society of St. Pius X as the group is formally known.

But in late December, Bishop Bernard Fellay, head of the group, described Jews as “the enemies of the church” to widespread condemnation from within and outside the Catholic Church. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, reportedly said it was “absolutely unacceptable, impossible to define Jews as enemies of the church.”

In October, the pope’s former butler Paolo Gabriele was given an 18-month prison sentence in the so-called “Vatileaks” case, after he was found guilty of stealing thousands of Vatican documents -- including some of Benedict’s private papers and letters alleging corruption within the church -- while working for the pontiff.

Some of papers were leaked to the media and, in court, Gabriele said he acted out of concern for the church and the pope. The pope pardoned Gabriele just before Christmas.

On a brighter note, Ratzinger said foreign trips had also been “important” to the pope, enabling him “to have a pastoral impact, to find friends and to create understanding for the message of the Gospel.”

Reuters contributed to this report.

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Pope's hometown in disbelief over resignation

Andreas Gebert / dpa via AP

A priest stands in front of the birthplace of Pope Benedict XVI in the German village of Marktl on Monday, after Benedict announced he would resign because he no longer felt up to the rigors of the job.

By Carlo Angerer, Producer, NBC News

MARKTL, Germany -- "We are Pope!" declared the German daily 'Bild' proudly and boldly on its front page after Pope Benedict XVI was elected in 2005. Now, the dream of a German pope is over. Soon it could be "We were Pope!"

The sudden news of the Pope's resignation shocked his native Germany. Radio stations reported that some at first thought the announcement was a bad carnival joke.

"I was shocked, because it came as a real surprise for, I think, everyone, as there were no signs of a resignation," said Josef Kaiser, a local Catholic priest in the Pope's birthplace, Marktl. Benedict was born Joseph Ratzinger in this Bavarian hamlet in 1927.

After his election, thousands descended on the village in southeastern Germany and his family's former home was turned into a museum. In the ensuing years, 200,000 visitors came to Marktl. On Monday, the evening of his resignation announcement, crowds of mostly journalists and photographers surrounded the pope's birthplace -- the bright lights of television crews lighting up the building possibly for the last time.

Mentioning no specific ailment other than 'advanced age,' Pope Benedict's parting came as a shocking announcement for many – except for the Pope's brother, who said he knew Benedict had been thinking about stepping down for months. NBC's Richard Engel reports.

"Marktl changed, because this was a very sleepy, small village of about two and a half thousand inhabitants and suddenly through the pope's election, it became the center of media attention," Kaiser said.

"It's quite sad that he already resigned," said Marktl's mayor, Hubert Gschwendtner.

"At first I didn't believe it," Gschwendtner added. "Last June I met him in Rome and he seemed quite well mentally and physically."

But the Pope's brother, the Rev. Georg Ratzinger, said Benedict's resignation was not sudden for him. He knew it was a process that had started a while ago and worsened as he weakened.

"He didn't have the strength anymore that the office demands," Ratzinger said.