Archbishop Georg Gänswein, for years the personal secretary of Benedict XVI and today the nuncio in Lithuania, has offered a firsthand testimony about one of the most delicate and singular periods in the recent history of the Church, dismantling interpretations about Ratzinger’s resignation and shedding light on the relationship between the Pope Emeritus and Francis.
“There was only one Pope”: the key to an unprecedented coexistence
The image of two figures dressed in white inside the Vatican marked an unprecedented stage in the modern history of the Church.
However, Gänswein insists that this visual perception should not lead to error. “Here we must distinguish well. There was only one Pope. The other was called Pope, but in reality he was the Pope Emeritus,” he explains.
Benedict XVI, aware of the novelty of the situation, introduced concrete gestures to emphasize that difference: he abandoned certain elements of the pontifical attire and modified visible details.
Even so, the coexistence of both within the same space - the Vatican - represented an unprecedented reality that he himself had wanted to define as the presence of a Pope Emeritus alongside a reigning Pope.
A resignation born of conscience, not scandals
On one of the most controversial points—the reasons for Benedict XVI’s resignation—Gänswein leaves no room for ambiguity.
In the face of hypotheses linking his decision to the Vatileaks scandal or internal pressures, he responds categorically: “None of that had anything to do with it.”
Far from conspiracy theories, the former secretary of Ratzinger describes an interior process marked by faith: “The resignation was the fruit of deep reflection, of strong prayer: the Pope posed the question to his conscience and then decided.”
A decision, in short, that took shape in the personal and spiritual realm, not in the terrain of Vatican crises.
Francis’s first gesture: seeking out Benedict
The moment of Jorge Mario Bergoglio’s election was etched in Gänswein’s memory as a scene charged with expectation.
After the white smoke, the name of the new Pope “spread through the room like a wildfire.”
But even more significant was what happened immediately afterward.
When Gänswein went to greet the newly elected, Francis took the initiative: “I would like to meet with Benedict. Can you help me?”
That desire for a meeting set the tone for the relationship between them from the beginning.
It was not easy to establish telephone contact with Castel Gandolfo - where everyone was following the announcement on television - but it was finally achieved.
A few days later, they met in a gesture that symbolically sealed the transition.
Castel Gandolfo: mutual respect and a “burden” handed over
On March 23, 2013, the first meeting between Benedict XVI and the new Pontiff took place.
Gänswein recalls revealing details: upon entering the chapel, Ratzinger wanted to yield the way to Francis, but he refused.
The same happened with the kneeler.
From the first moment, he notes, it was perceived that Francis wanted to treat his predecessor “in a very fraternal way.”
That day, moreover, Benedict handed over to his successor the documentation on the Vatileaks case.
“If there was a burden in that story, it can be said that he left it behind,” Gänswein states.
The gesture closed a stage marked by internal tensions.
Two distinct styles, one same faith
The differences between Benedict XVI and Francis have been the subject of multiple interpretations. Gänswein does not deny them, but places them in their natural context: “The biography is the biography… the formation, the life experience, everything is different.”
That diversity, far from being problematic, “is a complementarity… something that enriches.”
He also rejects the idea that the Pope Emeritus became a reference for an opposing bloc within the Church. In his view, the existence of organized tensions around his figure has been exaggerated.
Significant silences and delicate moments
On sensitive issues, such as restrictions on the traditional Mass or certain statements by Pope Francis, Gänswein introduces nuances without breaking the line of discretion that characterized Benedict XVI.
He assures that the Pope Emeritus “never commented” on the motu proprio Traditionis custodes.
However, he acknowledges an interior reaction: “When we read the Osservatore Romano, Benedict’s heart grew heavy.” An expression that, without being an explicit criticism, hints at the impact of the decision.
Regarding phrases like “Who am I to judge?”, Gänswein admits that they are “at the very least surprising coming from a Pope,” although he insists that he never heard direct comments from Benedict on these matters.
A relationship marked by respect until the end
The death of Benedict XVI offered the last image of that relationship. Gänswein was the one who personally informed Francis, following previous instructions.
The Pope went immediately to the monastery.
There, beside the body of his predecessor, Francis “blessed him, sat by his side, remained silent for a few minutes, and then we all prayed together.”
A sober but eloquent gesture that summarizes years of coexistence marked by evident differences, but also by a relationship of respect.