Pope Francis met Archbishop Georg Gänswein

Pope Francis accepted Archbishop Georg Gänswein at the audience. This is their first gathering since sending erstwhile secretary Benedict XVI to Germany.

The Vatican stated on Wednesday that Pope Francis accepted Archbishop Georg Gänswein at the morning audience together with the Sisters of Memores Domini, who dealt with Benedict XVI after his resignation from office. On the same day, the Pope besides adopted Archbishop Angelo Acattino, Apostolic Nuncio in Tanzania, and Bishop Paul Desmond Tighe, Secretary of the Department for Culture and Education. By its custom, the Vatican did not give any more details about the audience. Interestingly, last week Francis accepted another hierarchy considered to be an opponent of the liberal church line, Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke.

Archbishop Georg Gänswein was removed from the Vatican in the summertime of 2023. Pope Francis instructed him to live in his native archdiocese, Freiburg. Gänswein did not receive any circumstantial classes there. The archbishop's exile to Friburg was widely perceived as punishment, as the popes had not previously acted this way with the erstwhile secretaries of their predecessors. Even if they returned to their home, they were appreciated in various ways.

Archbishop Gänswein, however, fell into conflict with Francis. After Benedict XVI's resignation, he served as the individual secretary of the erstwhile Pope and Prefect of the Holy House, working closely with Francis. Gänswein, however, was sometimes dismissed from various meetings, which made the impression that Pope Bergoglio did not trust him. In 2020 there was a loud scandal associated with the publication of the book “From the Deep of Our Hearts” by the Cardinals. Robert Sarah, where Benedict XVI's article was written in defence of celibacy. This was read as a voice contrary to Francis' plans for the Amazon Synod. After the publication, Francis called on Archbishop Georg Gänswein and instructed him not to come to work for the Holy home again. Benedict XVI stood behind Gänswein, but this did not result.

In January 2023, just after Pope Ratzinger's death, the Italian book Gänswein “Only the Truth. My life with Benedict XVI” (soon besides published in Polish). In the publication, Gänswein described any details of the conclave in 2005 and hard relations between Benedict and Francis, especially erstwhile it comes to the evaluation of the Holy Mass in the conventional ritual. In consequence to the press articles announcing the book (with excerpts), the pope called the author to himself and ordered him to stay silent, as the archbishop agreed. For respective months he was suspended, not knowing what the pope would urge him to do; finally, a decision was made to send him back to Freiburg.

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