Pope Dispatches Gänswein to the Baltic Regions

Pope Dispatches Gänswein to the Baltic Regions

In the chilly month of December 2022, Georg Gänswein, who had once been a close confidant of Pope Benedict XVI., chose to publish a book criticizing the current Pope, Francis. Consequently, the higher-ups in the Vatican decided to send Gänswein back to his German roots. His new role would be serving as the Apostolic Nuncio of the Vatican in the Baltic region, stationed in Vilnius, Lithuania, and handling the Vatican's affairs in Estonia and Latvia. Currently, Gänswein, now 67, doesn't hold an office. Back in June of the previous year, Francis had already sent Gänswein to Freiburg, the city where his diocese is based.

The rapport between Pope Francis and Gänswein has been rocky for quite a while. Gänswein had been taking care of Benedict XVI. after his retirement in 2013, until his demise in December 2022. Gänswein's book, "Nothing but the Truth," became a best-seller in Germany shortly after it was released, peaking at the top spot on the non-fiction bestseller list.

In the book, Gänswein voiced his discontent with Francis and shared personal correspondences between them. The Pope, in retaliation, sent Gänswein back to his homeland without a specific assignment. Gänswein publicly expressed his discontent over being sent to Germany without a job. Francis, on the other hand, accused Gänswein of lacking compassion and spreading untruths about himself in one of his books. Gänswein spent nearly three decades in the Vatican.

Gänswein moved to Rome in 1995 and joined the Curia, with the then Prefect being Joseph Ratzinger, another name for Benedict XVI. In 2003, Ratzinger made Gänswein his right-hand man. By the end of 2012, he had become Prefect of the Papal Household, holding one of the most significant positions in the Vatican. Francis let go of him from his position a few years back and cut off all ties before his involuntary transfer to Freiburg.

Read also:

1. Despite facing criticism from Pope Francis following the release of his book "Nothing but the Truth," Georg Gänswein was assigned to oversee the Vatican's affairs in the Baltic States, specifically in Vilnius, Lithuania, as the Apostolic Nuncio, also serving in Estonia and Latvia.
2. Prior to his exile to the Baltic regions, Gänswein had spent several years in Rome, serving as the right-hand man of Pope Benedict XVI., who was then known as Prefect Joseph Ratzinger.
3. The controversy surrounding Gänswein's critiques against Pope Francis reached international attention, with Pope Benedict XVI.'s successor becoming embroiled in the conflict between the two high-ranking Vatican figures.

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