Pope Leo XIV receives Archbishop Georg Gänswein at the Vatican days after the nuncio expressed hope for Benedict XVI’s beatification process to begin soon.
Newsroom (13/12/2025 Gaudium Press ) Pope Leo XIV granted a private audience on Friday to Archbishop Georg Gänswein, the Apostolic Nuncio to Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, who previously served as personal secretary to Pope Benedict XVI.
The Holy See Press Office confirmed the meeting in a brief statement but provided no additional details on the content of the discussion.
The encounter comes shortly after Archbishop Gänswein gave an interview to the Catholic television channel K-TV, aired on December 7, in which he voiced his personal hope that the beatification cause for Benedict XVI might open in the near future.
During a recent presentation in Rome of a book containing private homilies by Pope Benedict XVI, the German prelate told journalists that Church procedures require prudence in such matters. “It is important to first let the years marked by the Church pass before doing so,” he said.
Citing established norms, Archbishop Gänswein noted that “to start a process there are rules, there are prerequisites. We’ll see, but for my part I certainly want it. The Church is very wise and establishes that nothing be done in the first five years. Then, we will see if it is possible.”
The archbishop, who spent many years at Benedict XVI’s side, emphasized his profound conviction about the late pope’s holiness. “I spent many years with Pope Benedict, and I saw how he lived in different situations, how he faced big problems, how he always sought an answer based on faith. I am convinced that I have lived with a saint,” he stated.
Under current canonical regulations, a beatification process for Pope Benedict XVI—who died on December 31, 2022—cannot formally begin until five years after his death, meaning 2028 at the earliest, unless the reigning pontiff grants a special dispensation. Pope Benedict himself waived the five-year waiting period for his predecessor, St. John Paul II.
In his recent public remarks, Archbishop Gänswein also reflected on his relationship with Pope Francis, acknowledging that “it was not always easy.” However, he revealed that reconciliation had taken place during his final audience with the pontiff before Benedict’s death. “When I was last in an audience, I asked for forgiveness and we reconciled,” he said, placing the encounter in November 2024.
The audience with Pope Leo XIV marks the latest chapter in Archbishop Gänswein’s ongoing role as a prominent witness to the legacy of Pope Benedict XVI.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from ACI Prensa
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