Archbishop Gänswein honors Benedict XVI in Vilnius talk, sharing memories, faith reflections, and hope for the late pope’s beatification.
Newsroom (11/01/2026 Gaudium Press ) At the Lithuanian National Library in Vilnius, under the soft glow of winter lights, Archbishop Georg Gänswein spoke with warmth and candor about his late mentor, Pope Benedict XVI, blending memory, theology, and personal reflection in a way that felt both intimate and profound. The longtime personal secretary to the late pontiff, now the Vatican’s apostolic nuncio to the Baltic states, said he no longer prays for Benedict, but to him—asking for his intercession and drawing strength from the example of his life.
Speaking on January 7 at an event hosted by the Catholic magazine Kelionė, Gänswein moved seamlessly between humor and reverence, offering reflections on his diplomatic mission in the Baltics, Christmas celebrations in Lithuania, and his decades-long relationship with Joseph Ratzinger, the man who became Pope Benedict XVI.
“I come from the most beautiful part of Germany,” he said with a smile, “but I have lived in Rome for most of my life. As a bonus and thanks for all my work, I received an assignment to work in the Baltic states.”
The Spirit of Christmas in the North
When asked about differences between Roman and Baltic Christmas traditions, Gänswein replied with characteristic humor: “I celebrated Christmas in Rome for 28 years, and in Vilnius for two. The first difference is the cold.” What struck him most, he added, were the luminous decorations and the evident sincerity of Lithuania’s holiday spirituality. The archbishop said he sensed a faith that “is not merely cultural or superficial,” but one where “its depth is felt here.”
This sense of reverence, he suggested, is a living sign of the mystery that Christmas celebrates—a faith attentive not to spectacle but to encounter.
Years Beside Benedict XVI
The heart of Gänswein’s reflections turned, inevitably, to Benedict XVI. He described his collaboration with Ratzinger as a “gift of divine providence,” one that shaped his intellect, heart, and soul alike.
“All the years of cooperation together have left an indelible experience,” he said. “It was not only intellectual and theological formation, but also formation of the heart, soul, and everything that we can call life.”
Gänswein first encountered Ratzinger’s thought as a seminarian, poring over his theological works while he was still a young priest in Germany. After ordination in 1984 and years of pastoral work, academic study eventually led him to Rome, where a providential invitation brought him into the orbit of Cardinal Ratzinger, then prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
“What did he call me for? I don’t know,” he remembered with humility. “But I see it as a great gift of Providence.” That call would lead to a 20-year partnership, culminating in Gänswein’s appointment as Ratzinger’s personal secretary in 2003.
Praying to the Late Pope
Since Benedict XVI’s passing, Gänswein has spoken openly about his continued spiritual closeness to the late pontiff. “Now, when Pope Benedict XVI has departed to be with the Lord,” he said, “I notice that I do not pray so much for him, but to him, asking for his help.” He recounted moments during his time in the Baltics when he turned inward, quietly seeking Benedict’s intercession for guidance or peace.
Even so, he emphasized the Church’s prudence in considering sainthood causes. “The Church is a very wise and very prudent mother,” he noted. “In beatification causes, she is twice wise and twice prudent.” Yet, Gänswein admitted in a December 2025 interview with Germany’s K-TV network, he nurtures “great hopes that this process will be opened soon.”
His remarks came just weeks before a private audience with Pope Leo XIV in Rome, suggesting that the desire to honor Benedict’s legacy continues to occupy a delicate but persistent place in Vatican circles.
Witnesses of Humanity and Hope
The Kelionė gathering in Vilnius was not only about ecclesial memory but also about human resilience. Educator Vytautas Toleikis described his “Walkers” program, inviting students to engage the city through encounters with people who embody kindness and empathy. Lithuanian singer Sasha Song spoke candidly about his recovery from addiction, crediting his transformation with a renewed ability to be grateful.
Toxicologist Prof. Robertas Badaras offered a sobering account of shifting substance abuse patterns in Lithuania, contrasting the heavy drinking culture of the Soviet era with today’s proliferation of synthetic drugs. Meanwhile, actress Justė Liaugaudė, from the “Red Noses Clown Doctors,” told moving stories of joy shared with hospital patients — a reminder that compassion can reach even into operating rooms, where words and medicine falter.
A Lesson Lasting Beyond Rome
For Gänswein, the evening’s message circled back to his formative years beside Benedict XVI — years he described as a “quiet schooling” of the soul. Through those experiences, he said he came to understand that gratitude, faith, and truth are not theoretical ideas but ways of living.
As the Lithuanian winter deepened outside, Gänswein’s reflections suggested something enduring: that holiness, like memory, is not sealed in history but continues to speak — quietly, faithfully — through those who carry its light forward.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from CNA
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