Archbishop Gänswein in new interview: Fear of Russia is palpable in the Baltics

Archbishop Gänswein: Fear of Russia is palpable in the Baltics

Tensions are in the air: As Vatican ambassador to the Baltics, former Papal secretary Georg Gänswein experiences the conflict between Russia and NATO firsthand. Why he relies on quiet diplomacy.

According to Vatican ambassador Georg Gänswein, fear of a potential threat from Russia is palpable in the Baltics. "There is an atmospheric burden that surrounds the Baltic region as a whole," said the archbishop in a new episode of the podcast "Friedensreiter" (Wednesday). Gänswein, former private secretary to Pope Benedict XVI, has been papal nuncio to Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia for a year. The 69-year-old said he experiences the tensions between Russia and NATO firsthand.

Although the Vatican is not a military, economic, or financial actor, it does have moral clout, Gänswein emphasized. "That is crucial," the cleric said.

Conversations behind the scenes

At the same time, he emphasized the importance of discreet discussions for Vatican peace diplomacy. "Much more is being done behind the scenes than is visible to the outside world—and should be," Gänswein said in the podcast. Only in confidential exchanges without cameras and social media can one speak openly and even controversially with one another.

The work of an Apostolic Nuncio is part of a "fine network" that transmits information from all over the world to the Holy See and simultaneously passes on Papal directives, explained Gänswein.

The podcast "Friedensreiter" (Peace Riders) is a joint project of the Ludwig Windthorst House, the Catholic Social Academy of the Diocese of Osnabrück in Lingen, and the Institute for Theology and Peace in Hamburg. It is named after the historic Peace Riders who mediated between Münster and Osnabrück during the negotiations for the Peace of Westphalia.

Source

Sorry in German-  more fully the following was covered.

👉 The Vatican's quiet peace diplomacy - how it works and why it works

👉 Living and working on the eastern border of Europe: a view from the Baltic States

👉 "Just war" or "just peace"? - What Pope Francis has changed

👉 Religion between instrumentalisation and reconciliation

👉 Pope Leo XIV and his peace programme