A practical guide to the holiest beer halls The private life of Benedict XVI came under the close attention of journalists

After the death of the previous Pope John Paul II, many believed that his successor, no matter what he did, would never achieve such popularity. Benedict XVI in his new post has not yet performed a single miracle ( thousands are attributed to John Paul II ), or indeed any act noticed by society, except for his publicly pronounced condemnation of same-sex marriage and the book about Harry Potter . However, they are already planning to turn the house of the former Cardinal Ratzinger into a museum , his car was sold at auction for an exorbitant price , and recently an illustrated guide was released in Italy for tourists who want to visit the places where Benedict XVI was born, drank his first glass of beer and read the first sermon.

It would seem that just recently the funeral of the Pope attracted the largest number of spectators in the history of television, a record number of pilgrims (about 4 million) flooded the Vatican, and all the media in the world watched the smoke over the Sistine Chapel. Hardly any other event in the history of the Roman Catholic Church attracted such a huge audience. And all this was explained by the incredible love of the Catholic flock, and the world media, for the departed pontiff, who generously bestowed public blessings and news stories on his admirers. And so the open and unpredictable John Paul II was replaced by the strict and “conservative”, as he was defined immediately after his election, by Joseph Ratzinger. Although he was for many years in the inner circle of the previous Pope, he always preferred to remain in the shadows... And then it turned out that even after the first wave of worldwide curiosity about the identity of the new Vicar of God on earth had subsided, the usual flow of “news from the Vatican” didn't stop.

In addition to the official statements of the Pope, of which there were very few, the media have been publishing news of a completely different kind for the last three months. It turned out that the cardinals did not choose a cruel inquisitor, far from the bustle of life, but a completely down-to-earth man who constantly loses his keys, loves cats and Volkswagen cars (which, in general, is not surprising for a German). Every morning, unrecognized, he walks through the Roman streets to the Vatican and never refuses to show the way to passers-by (although he is unlikely to be able to maintain this habit now). However, it cannot be said that the new pope himself advertised these few sweet weaknesses of his. They became known to journalists as a result of detailed questioning of his relatives and a scrupulous study of his biography. Perhaps the new pontiff would prefer to remain “in the shadows” (by the way, one of the “Vatican news” reported that during the conclave Ratzinger prayed to avoid the papal fate ), but now this is no longer possible. After the excitement that accompanied the election of Benedict XVI, he automatically found himself among the top public figures in the world - which means that any detail of his private life, both present and past, is valuable material.

House where Joseph Ratzinger was born (photo from wikipedia.org)
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And then there was an enterprising Italian woman who figured out how to make real money from “valuable details.” At the beginning of July, a guidebook entitled “The Bavaria of Joseph Ratzinger; a practical guide to the origins of Benedict XVI” appeared in Italian bookstores. Its author, Zhanna Perego, herself spent some time right where the future dad grew up, so the book turned out to be truly “practical.” In addition to the addresses of the houses where Ratzinger lived and the addresses of the churches where he celebrated mass (and he had to move a lot from one small Bavarian town to another, so visiting these sights will take more than one full excursion day), the guide shows the best local hotels and restaurants . And since the guide is intended mainly for Italian pilgrims, Joan, just in case, has compiled a guide on how to find a trattoria in any of the indicated Bavarian localities. We also recommend bars where you can drink “Papal beer” with a portrait of the pontiff in white vestments on the mug, and coffee shops where you can enjoy chocolate-marzipan “Ratzinger cake”. Apparently, the Bavarians also very quickly realized how much the “parts” cost.

The seminary where the future dad began to serve (photo from wikipedia.org)

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Although at first, disorderly crowds of pilgrims brought real horror to the small town of Marktl am Inn, where Joseph Ratzinger was born in 1927. Immediately after he took charge of the Catholic Church, hundreds of people went to find the house where the pope lived, and were so successful that the current owners of this ancient building with a peaked roof decided to sell their besieged property. The municipal authorities immediately expressed the wish that the new owner turn the house into a Papal Museum. Perhaps this is the only way, since it is difficult to even imagine what awaits the historic house now that seekers are armed with an illustrated, practical guide.

Anyone born in Bavaria remains a Bavarian all his life!

Joseph Ratzinger

In addition to useful information, the 152-page guide also contains recordings of conversations with neighbors and friends of the Ratzinger family, who tell, for example, the story of a noble young seminarian who volunteered to say mass in the mornings in a small church that did not have its own priest. In general, the guide is quite in keeping with the spirit of the articles about the human weaknesses of the Pope and greatly helps to feel that the head of the Catholic Church walks with us on the same ground. If this brings such delight to parishioners who come from all over the world to partake of the papal beer and cake, the Vatican is unlikely to complain too much about journalists “unearthing” everyday details from the life of the pontiff, or about the author of a guidebook who gave a spontaneous Bavarian-style pilgrimage a practical, organized look .

Ekaterina Chekushina