According to sources, the “exile” of Benedict XVI’s secretary in his hometown, Freiburg, may soon come to an end.
Editorial (04/13/2024 09:24, Gaudium Press) According to rumours, Pope Francis has already chosen a position for the secretary of Benedict XVI, Archbishop Georg Gänswein. Since his Roman dismissal, last year, Arch. Gãngswein resides in his hometown, Freiburg, without a specific job.
Changes seemed rather unlikely after Francis considered the publication of Nothing but the Truth – My Life Alongside Benedict XVI by Archbishop Gänswein as “lacking nobility and humanity.” The pope expressed his deep sadness that on the day of [Benedict’s] funeral, a book was published that disturbed him, telling things that are not true.
However, Elisabetta Piqué, a friend of the Pope, reports in La Nación that the secretary of Benedict XVI will soon be appointed as a nuncio “somewhere in the world.”
Indeed, after the death of Benedict XVI, there was much talk about the future of the German archbishop, even pointing to Costa Rica as a possible destination. The country, indeed, still does not have a nuncio.
In any case, Francis’ tensions with Archbishop Gänswein predate the death of Benedict XVI and the publication of his memoirs, and go back to early 2020, during a controversy involving the book on celibacy by Cardinal Robert Sarah. The work, –From the Depths of Our Hearts – co-authored with Benedict XVI, was a subject of controversy, as it expressed Benedict XVI’s firm opinion on priestly celibacy, precisely at a time when some Vatican officials seemed to advocate for a revision on the topic.
Following the events, Francis requested that Archbishop Gänswein take a leave of absence from his role as head of the Pontifical Household.
“I was shocked and speechless,” wrote Archbishop Gänswein when he learned of the leave, as he had been left as a “half prefect.” According to the prelate, the exact words of Pope Francis at the time were: “You still remain as prefect, but you will not return to work tomorrow.”
The Vatican has not yet commented on the future of Archbishop Gänswein, whose situation of exile contrasts, for example, with that of the secretary of John Paul II, Archbishop Dziwisz, who was appointed archbishop of Krakow and cardinal shortly after the death of the Polish pope.
Compiled by Gustavo Kralj
