Former Pope Benedict's brother Georg dies at 96

: Catholic Priest Georg Ratzinger, the 81-year-old brother of newly elected German Pope Benedict XVI, arrives at Munich's airport April 23, 2005, to depart for Rome to visit his brother.

Georg Ratzinger, the brother of former Pope Benedict who nurtured a very close relationship over decades to his sibling, has died at the age of 96 in the German town of Regensburg, public broadcaster BR reported on Wednesday.

In June, Benedict, aged 93, had spent five days in his native Germany to visit his ailing brother, who was also a priest.