Yesterday evening, Pope Benedict XVI participated in a ceremony honoring his brother, Msgr. Georg Ratzinger, who was decorated by Helmut Turk, Austrian ambassador to the Holy See.

Msgr. Ratzinger was honored with the "Osterreichisches Ehrenkreuz fur Wissenschaft und Kunst, Erste Klasse" (Austrian First Class Cross of Honor for Science and Art).

Heinz Fischer, president of Austria, initially assigned the medal to Msgr. Ratzinger in December of 2004 for his close cultural and priestly ties with the Republic of Austria.