Pope Francis has sent Archbishop Georg Gänswein, historical secretary of Benedict XVI, back to his diocese of origin, in Freiburg, Germany, without assigning him any position “for the moment”, as reported by the Vatican on Thursday.
Since the death of the pope emeritus on December 31 of last year, the relationship between Francisco and Gänswein has been tense, since a few days after the death of Benedict XVI, the secretary published a book that reveals Ratzinger’s secrets and accuses the current Pontiff of not having treated him correctly. Among other things, the German assured that the Argentine Pope “broke the heart” of his predecessor by limiting the use of Latin in masses as much as possible, a practice that Benedict XVI had rehabilitated.
Francisco, who has been admitted to a hospital in Rome since last Wednesday after undergoing an intervention on an abdominal hernia, has arranged for the German prelate to return to his place of origin on July 1, since on February 28 He concluded his work as head of the Papal Household. Gänswein, 66, had held this position, with duties similar to that of a chief of protocol, since 2012, but in 2020 he was set aside by Francis to dedicate himself exclusively to assisting the elderly pope emeritus. Although he has not performed any tasks related to that position since then, he had retained the title until now.
After the death of Benedict XVI, Gänswein had to leave the Mater Ecclesiae residence, inside the Vatican, where he had lived with the emeritus pope since his resignation, and moved into an apartment.
Gänswein does not hide in his book that he has always had a bad relationship with Pope Francis and explains that he was disappointed when he removed him from the duties of his post.
At the time of the book’s publication, Gänswein raised a great deal of media frenzy and Francisco met him privately on several occasions. Although he has not revealed the content of those conversations, the Pontiff did send him a message in public in one of the Angelus held the day before their meeting: “The great gossip is the devil, who is always saying bad things about others, because he is the liar who seeks to disunite the Church and alienate brothers and not make community,” he said.
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The future of the prelate has caused great expectation and has sparked all kinds of rumors. The German Catholic agency KNA has recently pointed out that if he were entrusted with a diocese in Germany, his presence in the country could have a negative impact on the ongoing reforms, since Gänswein is one of the staunchest opponents of the German synodal path, which it seeks changes and that it is advancing in sensitive matters for the Church such as the ordination of women or homosexual unions.
The local media have speculated in recent weeks about a possible bishopric in Germany for Gänswein, a position of great importance, although, apparently, both he himself, who preferred a high position in the Vatican Curia, and most German bishops, They rejected this idea.
A few days ago, when asked if he envisioned his role as bishop in Germany in the future, the man who was Benedict XVI’s most trusted man explained that the Pope gave him some “suggestions” and noted that he was “evaluating” him. .
By tradition, the secretaries of the Popes, after their death, usually return to their dioceses of origin. This was done by Loris Capovilla, who assisted John XXIII; Pasquale Macchi, who worked with Paul VI, or Stanislao Dziwisz, assistant to John Paul II.
Francisco will be discharged from the hospital this Friday. As reported by the Vatican, the postoperative period “continues regularly. Hematochemical tests are normal. This Thursday, the Pope thanked all the Gemelli staff for their care these days and visited the Pediatric Oncology and Pediatric Neurosurgery department.
Abuses against nuns
This Thursday it was also announced that the Jesuits, the religious order to which Pope Francis belongs, have expelled the well-known Slovenian priest and artist Marko Rupnik from the congregation, accused of having committed sexual, spiritual and psychological abuse against several nuns. The order has decided to remove him from the Society of Jesus for “his stubborn refusal to observe the vow of obedience”, according to a letter sent by the general councilor, Johan Verschueren.
The now ex-Jesuit had been placed under restrictions while his case was being investigated, so that he could not celebrate mass, participate in artistic activities or move freely, but he had broken them repeatedly in recent months.
Verschueren explains that he was even given “one last chance” to make peace with “his past” and “give a clear signal to the affected people who testified against him” and enter the “path of truth”, but also the rejection.
Rupnik is one of the most recognized religious artists in the Catholic Church. Mosaics of him decorate churches and basilicas around the world, including the Vatican. The Jesuits acknowledged last year that several nuns from the Loyola Community of Ljubljana, of which he had been a spiritual father, had accused him of abuses in the 1990s.
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