Vatican Radio interviews Archbishop Georg Gänswein
(Vatican Radio) “In retreat, with my prayer, I will always be with you, and together
we go forth with the Lord.” With these words, on February the 14th of last year, Pope
Benedict XVI bade farewell to the priests of his diocese here in Rome, three days
after the announcement of his resignation from the papal ministry. One year on, Vatican
Radio’s Alessandro Gisotti spoke to Archbishop Georg Gänswein, Personal Secretary
of the Pope Emeritus and Prefect of the Pontifical Household, to find out how Benedict
XVI spent the first anniversary of that historic resignation.
Please
find the interview text in English translation below:
February the 11th
of this year was a day like any other: the morning started with Mass, then the breviary,
then breakfast, and then the day continued. Of course, on this day there was also
talk of February the 11th 2013, which was a historic day, unforgettable for all those
who lived through it. We thought about it, we talked about it, but it made no difference
to February the 11th 2014.
A year has passed since this historic move of
resignation. How would you describe this unique period for Pope Benedict?
The
key to understanding this period lies in what Pope Benedict himself said in his resignation
speech: that is the reason. There are no other reasons. Anyone who looks for other
reasons is speculating: they have nothing to do with it. It’s that he no longer had
the strength, and a Pope was needed who had the strength to be a good leader for the
Church of Christ. This is an act of love, a brave act, but also an act of great humility,
of love towards the Lord and towards his Church. And maybe few people understood this
straight away, and I think in this past year understanding has increased of the fact
that this was a brave, revolutionary, humble act which will certainly bear fruits
in the future.
Benedict XVI lives a life “hidden from the world”, just as
he said. But it’s not isolated, this life. What strikes you most about the way in
which the Pope Emeritus spends his days?
What Father Lombardi [Director
of Vatican Radio] said – that Pope Benedict lives hidden, discreet, but not isolated
– was nice, because discretion and reserve are often confused with isolation, and
this isn’t true at all. Pope Benedict lives, as we know, in the Mater Ecclesiae monastery,
he has his daily rhythm: there are visits, there is correspondence, there is also
lots of contact with the outside world… but he chose to live this way in order to
pray for the Church and for his successor, and in this way he is at ease.
A
year ago, many people feared this unprecedented, extraordinary coexistence of two
Popes. But instead we see there is a naturalness in the relationship between these
two servants of the Lord: they feel, as they have said, like brothers…
It’s
true. Many people, I think, had this idea, or this doubt: can a coexistence between
the Pope Emeritus and the current Pope really work? Anyone who knows Pope Benedict
cannot have doubted that he would not interfere in the governance of his successor.
And that’s how it has been. But it was nice that, immediately after his election,
Pope Francis sought contact with his predecessor, and this initial contact was the
start of a good, beautiful friendship which develops every day.
Many people
would like to meet Pope Benedict again, would like to speak to him. We also know that
many people write to Pope Benedict. What would you say to these faithful, and how
does Pope Benedict receive this great love from so many?
This is a huge
solace for Pope Benedict, which fills his heart with joy, but also with gratitude
towards the people who care about him and towards the Lord. It’s clear – and here
I ask for understanding – that it’s not possible for Pope Benedict to accept all requests
to meet him, to see him, because there are too many. People write not only from Italy,
but from the whole world. But for this sign of closeness, for this sign of love, of
affection, Pope Benedict is very, very grateful.