Archbishop George Ganswein, 67, has been one of the most powerful people in the Vatican – since 2005 he’s been Benedict XVI’s private secretary – and Stanisław Dziwisz has done the same job alongside John Paul II. After Benedict’s death in December 2022, Ganswein returned to Germany at the behest of Pope Francis. On Tuesday, August 15, he celebrated Mass in the Bavarian pilgrimage church Maria Wesperbild and was greeted with applause by the faithful.
Exile of Pope Francis
He returned to his diocese in Freiburg in July 2023. German media write about his “deportation” and “exile” by Pope Francis. In “Only the Truth. My Life with Benedict XVI,” published in 2022 shortly after Joseph Ratzinger’s death, Ganswein lashed out at the current pope—complaining about the way he treated him, and describing in detail the differences between Francis and the Pope. and predecessor.
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In Kirchzarten, while promoting the book, the priest said he was “looking for work”. As declared by the Archdiocese of Freiburg, Benedict XVI’s private secretary “will not hold any position in the archbishopric’s regular or any permanent activity of the diocese.”
However, he will preside over the Mass at Freiburg Cathedral, where he is considered an honorary canon. It can also take on individual missions such as birthday and confirmation services.
Georg Ganswein came from the Black Forest and was ordained a priest in Freiburg. In 1995 he went to Rome and worked for Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.
sources: “Der Spiegel”, SWR Aktuell Baden-Württemberg
