Pope Francis apparently wants to appoint Gänswein as ambassador

Pope Francis has apparently promised German Archbishop Georg Gänswein a position as Vatican ambassador. Elisabetta Pique, correspondent for the Argentinian daily newspaper "La Nacion", was the first to report on the surprising turn of events on Thursday. According to the report, Gänswein is to become Apostolic Nuncio at a location yet to be named. The Holy See will officially announce the appointment "shortly", it said.

According to sources close to Gänswein, the decision was made after the archbishop visited Francis on the occasion of the anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI 's death at the turn of the year. At that time, he returned to the Vatican together with the women who looked after the Pope emeritus from Germany at his Vatican retirement home until his death on New Year's Eve 2022.

Recent accusations against Gänswein

Official Vatican photos at the time showed a smiling Archbishop Gänswein at the meeting with Pope Francis. Just last week, an interview book with Francis entitled "El sucesor" was published. In it, he accused Benedict XVI's former secretary of a lack of decency and humanity because a memoir by Gänswein about his years with the former Pope had been published immediately after his death.

However, in the interview, the Pope had also expressly said with regard to intrigues in the Vatican that people who have made a mistake must be forgiven and turn over a new leaf. It is only for people who remain obstinate that something else applies.

Gänswein (67) has been living without a job in his home archdiocese of Freiburg since his dismissal from the Vatican in the summer of 2023. He was Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI's private secretary for 19 years and accompanied him as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, as Pope and as Pope Emeritus until his death. (KNA)