My Brother, the Pope

by Georg Ratzinger

  VII

  1 Cardinal Ratzinger’s memory of this challenging assignment differs slightly in Milestones, Memoirs 1927-1977, trans. Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1998), 101, where he specifies that he gave “sixteen hours of religious instruction at five different levels”, agreeing that this “obviously required much preparation”.—Trans. Back to text.

  2 The German Baumschule (tree nursery; but literally “tree school”) is sometimes used humorously to indicate a less demanding school where backward students might be sent. It is used in this instance in a self-deprecating way by Father Gradl, comparing his own education to the higher level just achieved by Joseph Ratzinger.—Trans. Back to text.

  3 The habilitation is a second dissertation qualifying the candidate to hold a professorship at a German university.—Trans. Back to text.

  4 “Carmelite spirits” is an herbal remedy.—Trans. Back to text.

  5 Karl Valentin was a Bavarian comedian, the “Charlie Chaplin of Germany”.—Trans. Back to text.