For almost 30 years, he worked at the highest level in the Vatican. Now, for the past year, he has been working on the periphery and is confronted with the reality of war on a daily basis: Archbishop Georg Gänswein is the former private secretary of Pope Benedict XVI and served Pope Francis as Prefect of the Papal Household for seven years before ending his time at this role and then being sent as nuncio to Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.
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In an interview with EWTN correspondent Rudolf Gehrig, the German prelate spoke about his meeting with Pope Leo XIV, his work in the Baltic states, and his reconciliation with Pope Francis.
Archbishop Georg Gänswein, welcome to Rome and to the EWTN Vatican studio. You have been here in Rome for the Jubilee of the Holy See, where, among other things, you passed through the Holy Door together with Pope Leo XIV. How was that moment for you?
It started with a meditation in the audience hall, with Pope Leo and the cardinals present, then we had the procession, led by the Pope with the cross. We passed through the Holy Door. This was followed by Holy Mass in the basilica. It was an uplifting experience, simply because the Pope was there, along with all the nuncios and others.
You met the new pope a few times already. What is your impression of him?
My first impression does not date back to this week, but to the evening when he was introduced on the Loggia of Benedictions, or rather when he introduced himself. My first impression was surprising and very positive. Not only because he was wearing the stole and mozzetta again, but simply because of the way he presented himself.
As Pope Benedict’s private secretary, you witnessed the papacy up close. Later, you served as Prefect of the Papal Household under Pope Francis for seven years. Pope Francis passed away on April 21. Were you able to say goodbye to him? You spent many years working closely together.
Yes, it wasn’t always easy. Not everything was as the press reported, that there was a big “rift.” That’s not true. There were certain difficulties, certain tensions, but these had already been resolved in January 2024. The fact that I was subsequently appointed nuncio to the Baltic countries is certainly a result of this. But I wanted to visit Francis’ tomb myself and pay my respects. I met with the archpriest of St. Mary Major, who is a Lithuanian priest, Cardinal [Rolandas] Makrickas, and so I was able to pray for Pope Francis at his tomb. And that, how should I put it, brought the reconciliation to completion.
Your nunciature is in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. It is located just under 600 kilometers away from Kiev. How present is the war in Ukraine right now in your everyday life?
We have 60,000 to 70,000 Ukrainian refugees here in Vilnius. The government is spending a lot of money on Ukraine. And the atmosphere is this: what is 600 kilometers with today’s possibilities? It is also just under 800 kilometers from the northern border of Estonia to the southern border of Lithuania. The people don’t trust Russia, especially Putin, which is a result of the 60 years of servitude under the communist regime until 1989/91. You can feel that. So there is an atmospheric presence of war. But, and I say this again and again, we must not allow ourselves to be caught up in it, so to speak.
So you have to make sure that people don’t feel abandoned and know that the Church is still there for them.
Yes, this is very important. It’s about the fact that the presence of faith in the concrete presence of the Church is a great help, even for non-Catholics! Because its presence is a sort of, I don’t want to say “guarantee,” but it is perceived as such. We are not left alone, we, the Church, are here and we will also help.
Archbishop Gänswein, thank you very much for your time and all the best for the future.
Thanks for inviting me.
FIND THE POPE’S BIOGRAPHY HERE
Adapted by Jacob Stein
Produced by Rudolf Gehrig; Camera by Alberto Basile, Andrea Manna; Special Thanks to Fr. Ralph Weimann
