Archbishop Gänswein preparing to be Nuntius in Costa Rice

The country's Church is plagued by sex scandals. Last August, the courts condemned the Episcopal Conference of Costa Rica and the Archbishop of San José, José Rafael Quirós, to compensate Carlos Alberto Muñoz, a victim of sexual abuse by the priest Mauricio Víquez, who was covered up by the Church hierarchy, with $ 100,000.

Exiled

He is awaiting his fate. Which may be just around the corner. As RD can exclusively report, Georg Gänswein, unless there is a major surprise, will be appointed Nuntius to Costa Rica in the next few weeks. According to ecclesiastical sources, the Holy See asked the Costa Rican authorities last week for permission for Benedict XVI's personal secretary to tbe Nuntius. If, as usual, there is no administrative response, Rome will consider the 'Yes' to have been granted and will announce the fate of the man who, in recent months, has become a thorn in Francis' side.

The fact is that Costa Rica is considered in diplomatic circles as a 'Nunciature of rest', since the Central American country has the Catholic Church as the official state religion, according to Article 75 of the Constitution. It is a quiet destination politically and with a Nuntius, Bruno Musaro, who is about to turn 75 and has already requested his retirement.

The Costa Rican Church is closely linked to Spain, as the first Diocese was erected (together with that of Nicaragua) in 1531, dependent on the Crown of Castile, until 1850, when the Ecclesiastical Province of Costa Rica was created.

On the ecclesiastical level, however, the Church in the country is plagued by sex scandals. Last August, the Costa Rican Episcopal Conference and the Archbishop of San José, José Rafael Quirós, were sentenced by the courts to compensate Carlos Alberto Muñoz, a victim of sexual abuse by the priest Mauricio Víquez, who was covered up by the Church hierarchy, with a sum of 100,000 dollars. The events took place in 2003, and Víquez was only expelled from the Church in 2019. 

Gänswein, officially awaiting a posting, has already moved from the Mater Ecclesiae monastery, where he lived with the Pope Emeritus, to a 300-square-metre flat very close to Casa Santa Marta. At the moment, as he himself said this Sunday, he is finishing managing the 'inheritance' of the Pope Emeritus. In the last few days, as he pointed out, he has met up to five of Ratzinger's cousins, whom he has to ask whether or not they accept the funds he may have in his Vatican Bank account.

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