In 1941, one of Ratzinger's cousins, a 14-year-old boy with Down syndrome, was taken away by the Nazi regime and murdered during the Action T4 campaign of Nazi eugenics.
Godine 1941., jedan od Ratzingerovih rođaka, 14-godišnji dječak s Downovim sindromom, odveden je od strane nacističkog režima i ubijen tijekom Eutanazijskog programa T-4, kojim su se eutanazirale osobe s posebnim potrebama.