Pope Benedict’s Resignation ‘revolutionary’: His Personal Secretary
Vatican City, 11 February 2014: Pope Benedict’s resignation was a ‘revolutionary act’
said his personal secretary Archbishop Georg Gänswein, in an interview with the Vatican
Television Center (CTV). The Archbishop recalled the day when Pope Benedict XVI announced
his decision to resign. “11th February last year was a very special day,”
said Archbishop Gänswein, a day 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 30th 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. Source: VR Sedoc