Regensburg, Germany - Pope Benedict XVI is to donate his private home in Germany to a Catholic theology foundation on Thursday, church officials in the city of Regensburg said.
He has asked his brother, Georg Ratzinger, to hand over the keys.
The free-standing suburban house and garden was acquired new 40 years ago by Joseph Ratzinger when he was a salaried theology professor from 1969-77 at the University of Regensburg.
It continued to be used as his home base in Germany when Ratzinger became a Vatican official. Ratzinger, who adopted the name Benedict when elected pope in 2005, dropped in for a look for an hour in 2006, but has not used it since then. A caretaker looks after the home.
Benedict has donated it to the Benedict XVI Foundation, which was set up by the Catholic Diocese of Regensburg to promote the pope's scholarship. The diocese said it had not been decided exactly how to use the house, but it was likely to be used for scholars to meet.