New Memoir Particulars Rocky Relations Between Pope Francis And Benedict XVI

Vatican Metropolis, Holy See:

Only one week after the funeral of Benedict XVI, his closest aide launched a much-trailed memoir Thursday, revealing particulars of tensions between the late pope emeritus and his extra liberal successor Pope Francis.

Georg Gaenswein’s e book reveals personal conversations with each popes in charting the German ex-pontiff’s rise to energy and the last decade spent in retirement following his shock resignation in 2013.

The Vatican has not formally responded however Pope Francis referred to as Gaenswein in to a personal assembly on Monday, following days of pre-publication interviews through which the 66-year-old German aired years of grievances.

In a single, he claimed it had “pained Benedict’s coronary heart” when Francis successfully reversed his predecessor’s resolution to calm down restrictions on using the standard Latin mass.

Up till his dying on December 31 on the age of 95, Benedict had remained a figurehead for the conservative wing of the Catholic Church, which views Pope Francis as too liberal.

Shocked and Speechless

As his secretary since 2003, Gaenswein was a continuing presence at Benedict’s facet, and through his ultimate years residing in a monastery within the Vatican grounds, his gatekeeper.

After Benedict’s dying, Gaenswein led the mourners, greeting guests to his mentor’s lying-in-state and kissing the coffin in entrance of tens of 1000’s at St Peter’s Sq. through the funeral led by Pope Francis.

In “Nothing However the Reality: My Life Beside Pope Benedict XVI”, Gaenswein describes Benedict’s perplexity at a few of Francis’s choices, and the latter’s obvious makes an attempt to maintain his predecessor in test.

After changing into in 2013 the primary pope in six centuries to resign, Benedict promised to reside “hidden from the world”, however broke that pledge to talk out on a number of explosive points.

The final straw seems to have been a e book Benedict co-authored on priestly celibacy in 2020 — a PR catastrophe that Gaenswein mentioned Francis appeared accountable partially on him.

Gaenswein was successfully fired as head of the papal family with rapid impact.

“Keep dwelling any more. Accompany Benedict, who wants you, and act as a protect,” he mentioned Francis informed him.

Gaenswein, who had been propelled into the limelight on Benedict’s election, says he was left “shocked and speechless” by his demotion.

On listening to the information, Benedict half-jokingly mentioned “it appears Pope Francis does not belief me anymore, and is making you my guardian”.

The ex-pontiff intervened and tried to get Francis to vary his thoughts, however to no avail, Gaenswein wrote.

‘Beautiful George’

Like Benedict, Gaenswein was born in Bavaria. He describes his younger self as “a bit transgressive”, sporting unruly locks and listening to Pink Floyd.

The son of a blacksmith, he was ordained in 1984 and rose via the ranks to grow to be secretary to the then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.

When Ratzinger was elected to the papacy in 2005, the worldwide media was immediately captivated with his dashing blond-haired assistant.

He was nicknamed “Bel Giorgio” (“Beautiful George”) and gossip magazines gleefully started splashing paparazzi-style images of him in his tennis whites.

His shut relationship with Benedict sparked jealousy, he mentioned within the memoir.

However the brand new pope, Francis, appeared to not need him close by, Gaenswein mentioned, citing the pontiff’s refusal to permit him to reside within the palace residence that Benedict had used.

The memoir just isn’t anticipated to enhance relations between the pair, and it was not clear what job Gaenswein can be given now.

Some Vatican commentators have speculated he could possibly be appointed as a Vatican ambassador, or as director of an vital shrine.

(Apart from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is printed from a syndicated feed.)