It is actually irresponsible on the part of the Bavarian state government to load so many important Bavarians to Munich Airport Franz Josef Strauss for five in the morning and then to let them fly in one and the same plane: not only Prime Minister Markus Söder will be in the A321 gene Rome sit, including his deputy Hubert Aiwanger.

In addition, a large part of the ministers, the former Minister Presidents Edmund Stoiber and Günther Beckstein, the Mayor of Marktl am Inn and around 160 other people who, from the point of view of the state government, result in a “cross-section of society”, including traditional costume groups, mountain riflemen and the Pentling volunteer fire brigade.

Timo Frasch

Political correspondent in Munich.

  • Follow I follow

But the end really justified the means here.

With an emphasis on sanctifies.

Because it is the final farewell to Papa emeritus Benedict XVI.

What better way to honor him than with such a high-ranking visit from home?

How better to document the "Bavarian feeling" that Söder wants to evoke with a view to the state elections in October and that he also did in three ways in his first reaction to Benedict's death ("we", "our", "Bavarian") called: "We mourn our Bavarian Pope."

"We were incredibly proud at the time that he became Pope"

Even before the Lufthansa plane is in the air, Söder makes it clear to the journalists, who are also counted among the “cross-section of society”, who Benedict was: “Pope emeritus Benedict XVI.

always carried Bavaria in his heart.

We were incredibly proud at the time that he became Pope.

His close connection to Bavaria was always noticeable.

With every visit - I had quite a few encounters with him - he always asked: What's new in Bavaria?

When it came down to sending a gift to the Holy Father – he was certainly happy about candles and pictures, but most of all about a Bavarian gift basket with white sausages, wheat beer and simple Bavarian delicacies.” Bavaria was a place of longing for Benedict.

Almost everything on this day seems to be coincidence: in the cockpit of the plane is the son of the pilot who flew the newly elected pope back to Rome from World Youth Day in Cologne in 2005.

He received radio signals via his birthplace Marktl.

The then head of tourism in Marktl, a hobby pilot, had established the connection, the papal plane circled over the town in the district of Altötting, and the pope himself reported from above.

It was enough for a common Ave Maria.

Despite all the seriousness and emotion, the trip to Rome has the characteristics of a school trip.

Söder goes to the microphone on the plane and points to the cape that everyone has been given, "which not only has the beautiful Bavarian colors on the front, but also an emergency number on the back." He asks his fellow passengers to make sure on the return flight that the person sitting next to you was still there from the outbound flight.

Söder once again takes the opportunity to pay tribute to Benedict XVI, "our Bavarian Pope".

"Pope Benedict was with us in the heart of Bavaria."

The prime minister doesn't just say that.

In his spiritual testament, he, the Pope emeritus, wrote: "And I would like to thank the Lord for the beautiful homeland in the Bavarian foothills of the Alps, where I was allowed to see the glory of the Creator himself shine through again and again." Later on that memorable day in Rome, at the funeral meal in a trattoria, the mayor of Marktl will report that Benedikt wrote a letter for the 600th anniversary of the community in which he addressed the residents as "fellow citizens" and told them to find the balance "between global opening and quiet togetherness in our Bavarian homeland".