Papal Apartment for Sale in Bonn

An apartment building in Bonn where Pope Benedict XVI lived for four years has been put up for sale on Internet auction site eBay. The former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and his sister, Maria, lived in the house in Wurzerstr. 11 in the city's Bad Godesberg neighborhood while teaching at Bonn's university from 1959 until 1963. Unlike a VW Golf owned by Ratzinger that was auctioned for 188,938.88 euros ($237,232) on the site in early May, the house will not be auctioned, however. Instead, people who are interested in buying the building can make an offer to the owner via the Web site. EBay officals said the expected the current owner wanted to drive up the price by mentioning its famous former occupant. Benedict XVI still owns a house near the Bavarian town of Regensburg. It is expected that he will donate it to the local diocese.