The death of a pope is usually a rallying point for the Catholic Church, which not only has to mourn the previous leader, but also elect a new one. After the white smoke rises from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, the cardinal protodeacon goes to the window in St. Peter’s Square to announce “Habemus papam” and say the name of the chosen one. The death of a pope emeritus, is discovering Pope Francis, who was the first in six centuries to have to live with his predecessor, can put a spotlight on the divisions that exist within the Church. Habemus polemics.
The funeral of Benedict XVI, who resigned almost a decade ago and died on the last day of 2022, had barely ended when the first copies of the memoirs of the man who for 20 years was his private secretary reached various newsrooms. Nient”altro che la verità. La mia vita al fianco di Benedetto XVI (“Nothing but the truth. My life alongside Benedict XVI”) is the title of a work by German Archbishop Georg Gänswein (written side by side with journalist Saverio Gaeta, director of the weekly Christian Family).
“Today, after the death of the pope emeritus, the time has come for the current Prefect of the Pontifical Household to tell his own truth about the blatant slanders and dark maneuvers that have tried, in vain, to cast a shadow over the magisterium and actions of the German pontiff.” , promised the press release from publishing house Piemme about the 336-page book, put on sale last Thursday. But what is also clear is Gänswein’s discomfort at being sidelined by Francis.
The book includes accounts of private conversations with both popes, ranging from Benedict XVI’s rise to the Church’s highest office – he is said to have campaigned “in reverse”, trying to dissuade supporters from voting for him – to the years after his resignation. Gänswein reportedly tried to persuade him to stay, but he quickly realized that the decision was made and that it was “utterly futile”.
Read more in Diário de Notícias
