Former pope Benedict XVI travelled from the Vatican to Germany on Thursday to visit his ailing brother, the German Bishops' Conference said, a rare foreign outing that comes amid easing of coronavirus lockdowns. "I wish Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI a good stay in Germany and the necessary rest to privately look after his brother," 96-year-old Georg Ratzinger, the Bishops' Conference said in a statement. It is the first time Benedict, 93, has returned to his Bavarian home since 2013. mfp/hmn/bp