Hours after the funeral of former Pope Benedict XVI, an Italian publisher released advanced copies of a book that says it all which apparently exposed years of tension at the Vatican, Reuters first reported.
The unprecedented resignation of Pope Benedict XVI in 2013 and his subsequent refusal to leave the Vatican created an atmospheric setting in the holy city as he and Pope Francis both donned the iconic white suit of the pontiff, according to a longtime aide to Benedict XVI.
Archbishop Georg Ganswein, who worked for the former pope for 20 years, wrote a 330-page book titled ‘Nothing But the Truth – My Life Next to Benedict XVI’, saying former and current pontiffs have opposed to the positions of Pope Francis. when it came to homosexuality and abortion, reported by Reuters.
Pope Francis greets Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI during a mass to create 20 new cardinals at a ceremony in St Petersburg. St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican Feb. 14, 2015.
(REUTERS/Tony Gentile/File Photo)
FUNERAL MASS FOR POPE EMERITUS BENEDICT XVI HELD IN PLACE SAINT-PETER, PRESIDED BY POPE FRANÇOIS
Benedict XVI’s uncompromising approach to social issues is said to have contributed to a slew of criticism of Francis, especially among conservative American cardinals.
Ganswein served as Benedict’s personal secretary beginning in 2003, when Benedict was still Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, and throughout his term as pope and during his retirement.
The 66-year-old retained his position as prefect of the Pontifical Household after the appointment of Pope Francis and retained his role as Benedict’s private secretary in the years that followed.
Ganswein reportedly said he had never been able to achieve “a climate of trust” with Francis, who he said had kept him there out of respect for Benedict XVI – the first pope to step down in 600 years.
VATICAN – 02/01/2023: Bishop Georg Gänswein prays before the body of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Church. Saint Peter’s basilica. The Vatican announced that Pope Benedict XVI died on December 31, 2022, at the age of 95. His funeral took place on January 5, 2023.
(Photo by Stefano Costantino/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images.)
Ganswein was apparently fired in 2020 from his role as prefect after becoming embroiled in a controversy over a book written by conservative Cardinal Robert Sarah regarding priestly celibacy.
Sarah reportedly claimed that Benedict co-authored the book, although the former pope disputed this and said he wanted his name removed.
Francis was apparently unhappy with Ganswein’s handling of the issue, telling him “not to come back to work tomorrow” but allowing him to keep his job with Benedict.
DECEMBER 23: Pope Francis met with former Pope Benedict XVI to exchange Christmas greetings, at Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, Benedict XVI’s new residence, on December 23, 2013, in Vatican City.
((Photo by Maurix/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images))
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Benedict reportedly wrote two letters to Francis in an attempt to clarify the situation and said Ganswein was in pain after being caught in the middle of the issue, noting that he was “attacked from all sides”.
The book’s announcement came just two days after Benedict’s death on Saturday, with publishers promising to reveal the truth about the “blatant slander and dark maneuverings that have tried in vain to cast a shadow over the pontiff’s magisterium and actions. German”.
Fox News could not immediately reach the Vatican for comment.
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