German Archbishop Georg Gänswein, personal secretary of Pope emeritus Benedict XVI, recently published his book called, Nothing But The Truth — My Life Beside Benedict XVI. In it, he gives an intimate account of the last years of the Pope emeritus.
In his book, Archbishop Gänswein denies the widespread belief that the Pope emeritus campaigned for himself for the 2005 conclave. He recounts how in 2004, the Italian Vaticanist Giuseppe De Carli asked Cardinal Ratzinger on a RAI news program if, after having participated in two conclaves, he would do so in a third. The then cardinal replied, “If I am still alive.”
In Nothing But The Truth, Archbishop Gänswein says Pope Benedict XVI had planned to announce his resignation on December 21. But the Archbishop suggested choosing another date. Because if he chose that December 21, no one would celebrate Christmas. He told the Pope emeritus that it would be “like a bucket of cold water.” In the end, the Pope decided not to announce his resignation until February 11, 2013.
The book also looks at more serious moments, such as the Pope emeritus' reaction when he learned of Pope Francis' motru proprio, “Traditionis custodes,” in which he limited the use of the Latin Mass.
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TR: KG
