Archbishop Gänswein on Pope Benedict's abdication

Archbishop Georg Gänswein has once again cited his physical condition as the reason for Pope Benedict XVI's resignation. He was no longer able, he lacked strength, said the former private secretary of the recently deceased Pope in the Italian TV programme "Verissimo" on Sunday evening.

The resignation was a decision that required both humility and courage, Gänswein continued. The 66-year-old German denied rumours that Benedict's resignation had something to do with the "Vatileaks scandal" involving secretly copied and published confidential documents.

Like a father, brother and teacher

For him, the ex-Pope was like a father, brother and teacher, the German archbishop said in a TV interview. Benedict XVI had never ordered him to do anything or said a bad word. He had learned a lot from the man with the "very friendly and strong character". Since 2003, Gänswein had been private secretary at the side of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who later became Pope. As early as 1996, Ratzinger brought him into the Vatican's faith authority.

Gänswein book makes headlines

Excerpts from a book by Archbishop Gänswein have made headlines in Italian newspapers. The Roman daily "Il Messaggero" reported under the headline "On the day of the funeral, an attack by Georg against Bergoglio" that in the book Gänswein complains retrospectively about his leave of absence by Pope Francis.

Now he expects a new mandate from Pope Francis, Gänswein said in the television programme. He will accept whatever the Pope gives him. At the moment, he has no choice but to wait and see, the Black Forest native concluded.

"Final answer"

In the "Verissimo" programme, Gänswein was also confronted with the accusations of Pietro Orlandi, the brother of the missing Emanuela Orlandi. The Archbishop reported a meeting with Emanuela's brother, but denied his accusation that Gänswein had a dossier on the case.

Gänswein hopes for a "definitive answer" in the Orlandi case. The Vatican had recently reopened investigations into the Vatican citizen who disappeared in June 1983. Furthermore, he was not sure whether anything new could be found in the current Vatican investigations. However, he hopes that the investigations will lead to a "good end", said the former private secretary of ex-Pope Benedict XVI, who died on New Year's Eve.

Who is George Clooney?

Gänswein's nickname was also a topic in the interview. Gänswein was at times referred to as the "George Clooney of the Vatican" because of his looks, but at first could do nothing with this nickname. He had not known his prominent counterpart, he confessed.

The former private secretary of Pope Benedict XVI, who died on New Year's Eve, first had to research George Clooney on the internet. The comparison with the US actor had then startled and embarrassed him a little. Gänswein said he had to learn to deal with these superficialities, because the outer appearance is only one aspect of a person, the 66-year-old said.

Source