# Is Pope Benedict XVI an uncle?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pope-benedict-xvi-an-uncle/300732
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [April 23, 2005, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pope-benedict-xvi-an-uncle/300732 "2005-04-23T05:28:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2005, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pope-benedict-xvi-an-uncle/300732/1 "2005-04-23T05:28:00Z")

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Does Pope Benedict XVI have any nieces or nephews? I know his brother is a priest, but did his sister have any children before she died?

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### Author: ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)
#### Post date: [April 24, 2005, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pope-benedict-xvi-an-uncle/300732/2 "2005-04-24T05:17:30Z")

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According to [this article,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI#Early_life) Pope Benedict’s sister Maria died unmarried in 1991. Given that the Pope’s brother Georg is also a priest (ordained on the same day), it means that the Holy Father doesn’t have any nephews or nieces.

The article above does mention a cousin though.

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### Author: ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)
#### Post date: [April 24, 2005, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pope-benedict-xvi-an-uncle/300732/3 "2005-04-24T05:50:40Z")

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The Pope probably does have “nephews”, though, of course, they may never be revealed.

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### Author: ![RandomLetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8edcca/32.png) [@RandomLetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandomLetters)
#### Post date: [April 24, 2005, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pope-benedict-xvi-an-uncle/300732/4 "2005-04-24T14:03:36Z")

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**Kozmik** , if you are insinuating that Pope Benedict XVI has illegitimate kids out there, do you have any sort of cite or evidence, or are you just making stuff up?

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### Author: ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)
#### Post date: [April 24, 2005, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pope-benedict-xvi-an-uncle/300732/5 "2005-04-24T16:51:14Z")

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> [@Kozmik](#):
>
> The Pope probably does have “nephews”, though, of course, they may never be revealed.

**Kozmik**. You’re not in MPSIMS. You’re in GQ. While we appreciate a humorous aside, this one wasn’t.

Keep down the snide commentary in this forum.

**samclem** GQ moderator