Archbishop Gänswein in new interview on why Benedict XVI resigned
Why Benedict XVI resigned on Rose Monday - Archbishop Gänswein: The Papacy would be "way too big for me"
He "never" considered the Papacy, emphasizes Georg Gänswein. In an interview, the nuncio to the Baltics talks about Benedict XVI, the pope's resignation on Rose Monday, and his work in Vilnius.
Georg Gänswein has denied any ambitions for the papacy. "I never considered that," the nuncio to the Baltics explained in an interview with the Catholic television station "K-TV." In the video released on Monday, the archbishop from the Black Forest explains: "That would be way too big."
Asked whether, as the Pope's private secretary, he hadn't sometimes thought he himself would have preferred to make a different decision, Gänswein explained that he couldn't recall any internal conflict with Pope Benedict XVI over his decisions. Only on the subject of sports did there appear to be a "friendly conflict": "He didn't like sports," Gänswein recalls. He, however, played sports as best he could. Benedict XVI always found it "a bit strange" "to run after a ball or race down slopes or climb mountains." He enjoyed walking or hiking, "but as soon as it became more intense, the lights went out."
Pope's resignation on Rose Monday
Gänswein explained why his then-boss had announced his resignation as Pope on Rose Monday of all days: "Rose Monday in 2013 was February 11th – the feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes." Benedict XVI chose this day for his resignation not because of Rose Monday, but because it was a day off in the Vatican and because a meeting of cardinals in Rome had already been scheduled for that day. He initially wanted to explain this important decision to the assembled cardinals. "The fact that the same day was also Rose Monday wasn't on the Vatican's screen," said the former papal secretary. When he realized this, it was too late to change his plans. He commented that he could "well understand" that people in Germany initially assumed it was a false report, given the timing of the papal resignation.
The former private secretary to Benedict XVI. describes him as a human leader: "I never experienced him as someone who was agitated, or even angry or shouting, but rather as someone who was at peace with himself, who knew what task he had to do and how to accomplish it." He himself had learned a gentleness from him, "which isn't something I naturally possess." He saw that tasks could be accomplished calmly and with a strong faith. If faith isn't the driving force behind action, it becomes a job, "then it becomes an activity that loses a great deal of credibility."
Five years in Vilnius
According to Gänswein, a Papal Nuncio is usually initially appointed for five years. Therefore, he expects his stay in Vilnius to last five years as well. "To what extent Pope Leo XIV has a different idea about what I could do or what task I could take on, I don't know." He is now trying to carry out his current task wholeheartedly. The concern about a Russian threat is palpable in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. In light of this, the Pope's spiritual presence in the person of the nuncio there is a sign of hope for the people. "I have felt this again and again," said Gänswein. A fundamental hope of the people is that the Pope will contribute to finding peace.
Vilnius, as the "Rome of the North," is characterized by over 40 churches. He purposefully takes walks through the old town to see the various churches and pray there. The two pilgrimage churches play a special role here. He himself considers himself at least "half Roman" because he spent most of his life not in the Black Forest, but in Rome.
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