Pope Francis: “Father George lacks nobility and humanity”
Father Georg Gaenswein demonstrated a “lack of nobility and humanity”: this is what Pope Francis declared in the book-interview Pope Francisco. El successor written by journalist Javier Martinez-Brocal and out tomorrow in Spain.
In the volume the Pontiff underlines that the funeral of Benedict XVI, considered by some to be subdued, was fully managed by Monsignor Gaenswein and reveals that his own funeral will be more sober than that of his predecessors. In particular, Bergoglio underlines that his coffin will be closed and that his body will not be exposed to the faithful.
Pope Francis speaks at length about his predecessor and above all about Monsignor Gaenswein and the book that the latter published: “That on the day of the funeral a book was published that speaks badly of me, telling things that are not true, is very sad. Obviously it doesn't affect me, in the sense that it doesn't affect me. But I was sorry that Benedetto was used. The book was published on the day of the funeral, I experienced this as a lack of nobility and humanity.”
Pope Francis says of Ratzinger that “he was a knight. Instead, I tell you with regret that his secretary sometimes made things difficult for me. I remember a case in which I replaced someone who was in charge of a department and the decision caused some controversy. In the midst of all that noise, the secretary took the initiative to take him to see Benedetto, since that person wanted to greet him. The problem is that they released the photo of that meeting, as if Benedetto contested my decision. It honestly wasn't right.”
Bergoglio also reveals an episode that was reported to him: “One Sunday Benedetto called Clemens on the phone and told him: 'Now I can call you because Don Georg has left'. It's as if, in order not to offend his collaborators, he avoided calling him on the phone.”
Ratzinger “was a man of great meekness. In some cases, some people took advantage of this, perhaps without bad intent, and restricted his movements. Unfortunately, somehow, they surrounded him. He was a very delicate man, but not weak, he was strong. But there, with himself, he was humble and preferred not to impose himself. And so he suffered enough.”
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