Emeritus Pope Benedict returning to Vatican after visiting ailing brother

Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI is returning to the Vatican after a four-day visit to Germany to visit his ailing elder brother, the Regensburg diocese said.

Benedict, a Bavarian native, was expected to fly back from Munich airport around midday.

The 93-year-old retired pontiff arrived in Germany on Thursday to be with his 96-year-old brother, Father Georg Ratzinger.

On Saturday, he greeted old neighbours and prayed at his parents’ grave.

He stayed at a seminary during his trip, visiting his brother twice a day.

Benedict has lived at a monastery on the Vatican grounds since shortly after his 2013 retirement, a decision that stunned the world.

Elected to the papacy in 2005 to succeed St John Paul II, the former Joseph Ratzinger was the first pontiff in 600 years to resign the post.