Hours after the funeral of former Pope Benedict XVI, an Italian publisher has published advanced copies of a tell-all book that has apparently revealed 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 both he and Pope Francis donned the supreme pontiff’s trademark white robes, according to a former aide. of Benedict.
Archbishop Georg Ganswein, who worked for the former pope for 20 years, has written a 330-page book titled “Nothing but the truth: my life at the side of Benedict XVI,” claiming that the former and current pontiffs clashed over positions of Pope Francis when it came to homosexuality and abortion, Reuters reported.
Pope Francis greets Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI during a mass to create 20 new cardinals during a ceremony at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on February 14, 2015.
(REUTERS/Tony Gentile/File photo)
FUNERAL MASS OF POPE EMERITUS BENEDICT XVI IN SAN PETER’S SQUARE, PRESIDED BY POPE FRANCIS
Benedict XVI’s hard-line approach to social issues reportedly contributed to a great deal of criticism of Francis, particularly among conservative American cardinals.
Ganswein served as Benedict XVI’s personal secretary from 2003, when Benedict XVI was still Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, and during his time as pope and during his retirement.
The 66-year-old kept his job as Prefect of the Papal Household after the appointment of Pope Francis and maintained his role as Benedict XVI’s private secretary in the years that followed.
Ganswein reportedly said he was never able to reach “a climate of trust” with Francis, who he believed kept him out of respect for Benedict XVI, the first pope to resign in 600 years.
VATICAN – 2023/01/02: Archbishop Georg Gänswein prays in front of the body of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Basilica. The Vatican announced that Pope Benedict died on December 31, 2022, at the age of 95. His funeral was held on January 5, 2023.
(Photo by Stefano Costantino/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
FUNERAL OF POPE BENEDICT XVI: POPE FRANCIS REMEMBERS THE LIFE, LEGACY AND COURAGE OF THE LATE PONTIFF
Ganswein was apparently sacked in 2020 from his role as prefect after reportedly becoming embroiled in controversy related to a book written by conservative Cardinal Robert Sarah on priestly celibacy.
Sarah reportedly claimed that Benedict XVI was a co-author of the book, though the former pope disputed this, saying he wanted his name removed.
Apparently, Francis was disgusted with the way Ganswein handled the issue and told him “not to come back to work tomorrow”, but allowed him to keep his job with Benedict.
DECEMBER 23: Pope Francis met with former Pope Benedict XVI to exchange Christmas greetings, at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, the new residence of Benedict XVI on December 23, 2013, in Vatican City.
((Photo by Maurix/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images))
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Benedict XVI reportedly wrote two letters to Francis to try to clarify the situation, saying that Ganswein was suffering after being caught in the middle of the issue, noting that he was “under attack from all sides.”
The book’s announcement came just two days after Benedict XVI’s death on Saturday, with the publishers vowing to reveal the truth about the “blatant slanders and dark maneuvers that tried in vain to cast a shadow over the German pontiff’s magisterium and actions.”
Fox News could not immediately reach the Vatican for comment.
