Rome/Freiburg (dpa) – The longtime private secretary of Pope Benedict XVI, Georg Gänswein, is to return to his home diocese of Freiburg, according to information from the daily newspaper “Welt” – and without office. Pope Francis instructed the 66-year-old to leave Rome by July 1 at the latest, the newspaper reported on Friday. According to dpa information, talks about the change are ongoing, but these have not yet been completed.
The decision to do so was made in May at a private audience, reports “Welt” and cites several high-ranking church sources. The decision is said to have been preceded by “a back and forth of several weeks”. Gänswein is said to have proposed various tasks. Francis, on the other hand, thought of working as a professor of theology. A spokesman for the Archdiocese of Freiburg said on request that the diocese leadership could not comment on the report. Only in mid-May did Gänswein lead a service in the Freiburg Cathedral.
Since the death of Benedict XVI. On New Year’s Eve 2022, Gänswein had been waiting for Pope Francis to assign him a new task. He received him three times for an official private audience. There was speculation about a possible transfer to Costa Rica as Vatican ambassador or that Gänswein could become Archbishop of Bamberg.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:230602-99-917071/2
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