Pope fulfills with Benedict’s aide amid funeral, e-book fallout

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis satisfied on Monday with Archbishop Georg Gaenswein, the longtime secretary of Pope Benedict XVI who was a vital determine in his modern funeral but who has raised eyebrows with an remarkable memoir in which he settles outdated scores and reveals palace intrigue.

The Vatican presented no aspects about the content material of the non-public viewers, other than to say it transpired.

Speculation about Gaenswein’s foreseeable future has swirled now that his main position tending to Benedict has occur to an conclude subsequent the pope emeritus’ Dec. 31 dying. But issues have also been elevated about what Francis will do with Gaenswein next this week’s publication of his explain to-all e-book, “Nothing But the Fact: My Existence Beside Pope Benedict XVI.”

In the textual content, Gaenswein reveals formerly not known details of some of the biggest hiccups of the final 10 years in which Benedict lived as a retired pope alongside Francis subsequent his 2013 selection to retire, the 1st pope in six hundreds of years to do so.

In just one of the most explosive sections, Gaenswein suggests he was “shocked” when Francis basically fired him from his day work as the head of the papal household in 2020 soon after a scandal above a e book Benedict co-authored.

Printing previously magic formula letters amongst the two popes and relaying personal discussions with Francis, Gaenswein revealed that Francis even refused entreaties from Benedict to get him back on.

Gaenswein also wrote of his dismay that, several years earlier, Francis experienced refused him the appropriate to live in the palace apartment previously occupied by the prefect of the papal family. Right after a for a longer time-than-typical refurbishment, Francis gave the flat instead to the Vatican international minister, forcing Gaenswein to go on living in the monastery that Benedict referred to as residence.

Gaenswein’s potential continues to be unsure. As an archbishop, he technically could be appointed to an archdiocese in his indigenous Germany. Questioned about that risk, the head of the German bishops meeting stated previous 7 days soon after the funeral that it was not up to him but Francis. In addition, some Vatican commentators have instructed Gaenswein could be appointed as a Vatican ambassador, to run an critical shrine or to resume his academic occupation.

Gaenswein, a 66-12 months-previous German canon lawyer, stood by Benedict’s facet for approximately 3 many years, first as an official working for then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Religion, and then starting off in 2003 as Ratzinger’s private secretary.

He adopted him to the Apostolic Palace when Ratzinger was elected pope, and then into retirement when Benedict stepped down. In that potential, he remained Benedict’s gatekeeper, confidant, protector and spokesman, and in the new e book appears keen to settle old scores and set the report straight to defend Benedict and himself 1 far more time.