Benedict XVI’s personal secretary: former Pope’s resignation "revolutionary and courageous”
(Vatican Radio) In an interview with the Vatican Television Center (CTV) Pope Emeritus
Benedict XVI’s personal secretary recalls the day on which Pope Francis’ predecessor
announced his decision to resign. “The 11th of February last year was
a very special day,” said Archbishop Georg Gänswein, a day he says was marked by
feelings of “sadness and gratitude.”
“Clearly, taking one’s leave is always
a sad thing, a thing that hurts, that is painful” says Gänswein who is also head of
the papal household. “On the other hand, there was also the feeling of gratitude
for these years that I was able to live near a great Pope. I knew about (the announcement)
a little before, and certainly, when the Pope told me, he told me with orders not
to tell anyone, and I did not say anything. I knew about it, however, at the moment
he said it, I was shocked. For me, the last day of his pontificate was a day of great
sorrow.”
One year on from that historic day, Gänswein reiterates his belief
that Benedict’s resignation was an “act of great courage, even a revolutionary act,
which opened up possibilities that no one at that moment could see.”
“The
Pope said it himself, when he read out the text of his announcement, that he was no
longer able to guide the barque of Peter, the Church of the Lord.” Gänswein describes
the resignation as “an act of love for the Lord, for the Church and for the faithful,
to step aside to open up the possibility to a person who has more strength who can
continue his work.”
Gänswein says he “strongly” believes that Benedict’s gesture
had a great impact on the faithful’s emotional reaction to Francis, saying that it
“is an aspect that should not be underestimated.”
“We are all seeing the
impact of Pope Francis on the world, not only on the faithful in the Church, but on
the world; it is a huge impact, and this impact was also facilitated by Pope Benedict
in his resignation. He opened up a possibility that until then was not there, and
we see that Pope Francis has taken up this situation and we are pleased that today
it is so. "
To celebrate its thirtieth anniversary, CTV has created a box
set of five DVDs entitled “From Benedict to Francis,” showcasing recordings of the
most important events marking the changeover of pontificates. The DVDs offer an
archive of the period from February 11 to March 27, 2013 following the resignation
of Benedict to Pope Francis’s first audience.