Former Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s closest aide, Archbishop Georg Genswein, published a long-awaited memoir on Thursday in which he criticizes Pope Francis, revealing tensions between him and his predecessor, AFP and Agerpres reported.

The book entitled “Nient’altro che la verita: La mia vita al fianco di Benedetto XVI” (Nothing but the truth: my life with Pope Benedict XVI) tells about the ascension of former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to the throne of the Vatican, his pontificate (2005 ) -2013) was marked by scandals and, ultimately, his retirement to a monastery in the Vatican after his abdication, which surprised the whole world.

The Vatican has yet to officially respond to Monsignor Georg Hanswein’s criticism of Pope Francis in the book, but days after parts of it were published in the press, the 66-year-old German prelate was summoned to a closed-door meeting on Monday with the current pope. by the door and the conclusions of which were not made public.

Georg Hanswein, whose activities were lavishly covered in the Italian press at the height of his influence, claims, among other things, that the Argentine-born pope “broke the heart” of his predecessor when he restricted the use of Latin in religious services, a practice encouraged by the former sovereign the pontiff, a conservative Catholic.

Until the day of his death, which occurred on December 31 at the age of 95, Benedict XVI was considered the standard-bearer of the conservative wing of the Catholic Church, a faction that considers Pope Francis too progressive.

Hanswein’s relationship with former Pope Benedict

Acting as Joseph Ratzinger’s private secretary since 2003, before his election as Pope, and until the death of the former sovereign pontiff, Monsignor Hanswein was a privileged witness to the scenes of his pontificate.

After the death of Benedict XVI, he was an official representative who received visitors during the solemn exhibition of the coffin of the former Pope Emeritus in St. Peter’s Basilica and participated in the lowering of the preceptor’s coffin from the funeral plinth. him, taking him in front of tens of thousands of worshipers during the funeral in St. Peter’s Square, which was presided over by Pope Francis.

The German prelate did not hesitate to criticize the current leader of the Catholic Church, his direct superior, talking about the surprise that the pope emeritus feels at some of the decisions made by his successor.

After his resignation in 2013, the first resignation of a pope in nearly 600 years, Benedict XVI vowed to live “reclusively in a monastery,” but has repeatedly broken that promise by speaking out publicly on certain topics considered explosive, such as the celibacy of Catholic priests. in 2020.

German archbishop accuses Pope Francis of driving him into a dead end

During that dispute, Georg Hanswein says he acted as a sort of scapegoat: Pope Francis stripped him of any leadership position in the Vatican, retaining only the title of “prefect of the papal household,” a secondary position.

“From today, stay at home. Accompany Benedict, who needs you, and act as a shield,” Pope Francis would have asked him then. Monsignor Hanswein said he was “shocked and stunned” by his removal from the Vatican leadership.

When he repeated these words to Benedict XVI, the former Pope allegedly made a half-serious, half-joking comment: “It seems that Pope Francis no longer trusts me and has made you his guardian.”

Benedict XVI would then have intervened with Pope Francis to persuade him to reconsider his decision, but he failed to do so, said the German prelate, who hails from Bavaria, like his defender.

Ordained a priest in 1984, he became Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger’s personal secretary and followed him to the Apostolic Palace after he was elected Pope, becoming a favorite prelate of the Italian media thanks to his Hollywood actor looks.

According to Vatican observers, the current sovereign pontiff could appoint Georg Hanswein as ambassador, so far removed from the Vatican and its intrigues.