Former pope secretly leaves Vatican to visit brother in hospital: Report

Rome: Former pope Benedict XVI secretly left his residence in the Vatican to visit his brother in hospital in Rome, La Stampa daily said Saturday.

The 85-year-old, who promised on his retirement to live "hidden from the world", was escorted in a car with blacked-out windows for an hour`s visit with Georg Ratzinger in the Policlinico Gemelli hospital in the Italian capital. Ratzinger, 89, who is a priest, was admitted to hospital after travelling to the Vatican from Germany to spend Christmas with the former pontiff, the daily said, without providing any further details. The visit was Benedict`s second excursion since he retired to the former monastery within the Vatican gardens in May, where he has kept a very low profile. His first trip was to attend a concert in August at Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer residence where he stayed for two months following his resignation in February last year, the paper said.