ROME (LifeSiteNews) — In an exclusive interview, Archbishop Georg Gänswein unveils behind-the-scenes details of his relationship with Popes Benedict XVI, Francis, and Leo XIV, from his marginalization to the release of Benedict’s “secret homilies” and his new post in the Baltics.

On December 15, 2025, the Italian daily Il Tempo published an exclusive interview by Francesco Capozza with Gänswein, now apostolic nuncio to the Baltic Republics, in which the German prelate reconstructs the events following the death of Benedict XVI, clarifies his relationship with Pope Francis, recounts the genesis of the unpublished homilies of Benedict XVI which were recently released, and offers a first impression of the pontificate of Leo XIV.

“We wanted those wonderful homilies, those moving sermons of Benedict XVI, not to be lost, and for years, every Sunday, we recorded them. Benedict XVI never knew it,” Gänswein states, referring to the unauthorized recordings of the homilies delivered by the pope at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery.

In the course of the interview, Gänswein tones down his recent statement regarding an alleged formal “reconciliation” with Pope Francis before the latter’s death. “Reconciliation is perhaps an exaggerated term,” he explained.

Immediately after the funeral of Benedict XVI, Francis ordered his return to the Diocese of Freiburg without assigning him any office, a decision he described as “unusually harsh” for the secretary of a pope who had just died.

READ: Archbishop Gänswein expresses hope for future beatification of Pope Benedict XVI

Only a year later, on December 31, 2023, during a visit to Rome to celebrate Suffrage Masses for Benedict XVI, Gänswein requested an audience with the pope. At that meeting, he recounts, he openly expressed his discomfort at the forced inactivity, subsequently receiving appointment as apostolic nuncio.

The prelate describes his new diplomatic assignment as a challenge accepted “with joy and a spirit of service,” despite not having received specific training at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy. He currently resides in Vilnius, Lithuania, “the country with the highest percentage of Catholics among the three Baltic republics entrusted to the nunciature.”

Gänswein reports a climate of “palpable concern” among the local populations due to the war in Ukraine and tensions with Russia.

Regarding the new publication of the homilies of Benedict XVI, God Is the True Reality, Gänswein explains that between 2013 and 2018 the pope emeritus continued to preach every Sunday at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, often in a private setting. The homilies were secretly recorded by him and by the four Memores Domini members who assisted Ratzinger, then transcribed and preserved. Only later, with the involvement of Father Federico Lombardi and the Ratzinger Foundation, was the decision made to publish them, giving rise to a complex multi-volume editorial project.

The interview also addresses the “prophetic” character of Joseph Ratzinger’s thought, recalling texts and lectures dating back to the years prior to the pontificate, as well as his relationship with sacred music and the liturgy. Gänswein further reveals that Benedict XVI wished the first volume of his Opera Omnia to be dedicated to the liturgy, considered central to his Magisterium.

“As regards sacred music, Pope Benedict regarded it as the most fitting, noble, and solemn form and expression for explicating and celebrating the mysteries of the faith. He cared for sacred music just as he considered a certain sacrality of the liturgy to be fundamental as a sign of love and respect toward God,” Gänswein said.

Finally, Gänswein confirmed that he has received testimonies of graces and healings attributed to the intercession of Benedict XVI, while specifying that no cause of beatification is currently open, in accordance with the prescribed canonical timelines.

READ: Archbishop Gänswein urges Pope Leo to end Latin Mass restrictions, restore Summorum Pontificum

As for his personal assessment of Pope Leo XIV, he underscored the “serenity and peace” perceived from the very first public appearance, and the renewed centrality of Christ in the homilies. “I had both a visual and an acoustic impression different from what we had been accustomed to over the past 12 years. Both impressions were very positive, obviously,” he told the Italian journalist. “It was immediately clear that something had truly changed.”

Gänswein served as personal secretary to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger from 2003, who then became Pope Benedict XVI from 2005 to 2013. After the famous renunciation, Gänswein remained at the side of the pope emeritus at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, sharing with him the years of retirement until the death of Benedict XVI on December 31, 2022.

The relationship between Gänswein and Pope Francis went through complex phases, which emerged with particular clarity precisely after the passing of the Benedict. On July 1, 2023, by decision of Pope Francis, the archbishop returned to his home diocese of Freiburg im Breisgau without receiving any official assignment. This period marked a phase of institutional inactivity that lasted for about a year.

The first official meeting between Gänswein and Pope Francis after his return to Germany took place on January 3, 2024, at the Vatican. The period of uncertainty ended on June 24, 2024, when Pope Francis appointed Gänswein as apostolic nuncio to the Baltic Republics, entrusting him with the diplomatic representation of the Holy See in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.

The archbishop was received in official audience by Pope Leo XIV on December 12, in his role as apostolic nuncio, marking the first formal meeting with the new Pontiff and opening a new phase of his service to the Holy See under the current pontificate.