Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s longtime private secretary writes tell-all ebook

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s longtime private secretary has written a tell-all ebook that his writer on Monday promised would inform the reality concerning the “blatant calumnies,” “darkish maneuvers,” mysteries and scandals that sullied the popularity of a pontiff finest recognized for his historic resignation.

Archbishop Georg Gaenswein’s “Nothing however the Reality: My Life Beside Pope Benedict XVI” is being revealed this month by the Piemme imprint of Italian publishing large Mondadori, in line with a press launch.

Benedict died Saturday at age 95 and his physique was placed on show Monday in St. Peter’s Basilica forward of a Thursday funeral to be celebrated by his successor, Pope Francis.

Gaenswein, a 66-year-old German priest, stood by Benedict’s aspect for practically three many years, first as an official working for then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger within the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Religion, then beginning in 2003 as Ratzinger’s private secretary.

Gaenswein adopted his boss to the Apostolic Palace as secretary when Ratzinger was elected pope in 2005. And in one of the memorable pictures of Benedict’s last day as pope Feb. 28, 2013, Gaenswein wept as he accompanied Benedict by way of the frescoed halls of the Vatican, saying goodbye.

He remained Benedict’s gatekeeper, confidant and protector throughout a decade-long retirement, whereas additionally serving till not too long ago because the prefect of Francis’ papal family. It was Gaenswein who celebrated the sacrament of the anointing of the sick final Wednesday, when Benedict’s well being deteriorated, and it was he who known as Francis on Saturday to inform him that Benedict had died.

Based on Piemme, Gaenswein’s ebook accommodates “a private testimony concerning the greatness of a light man, a advantageous scholar, a cardinal and a pope who made the historical past of our time.” Nevertheless it mentioned the ebook additionally contained a first-hand account that may right some “misunderstood” features of the hold forth in addition to the machinations of the Vatican.

“At the moment, after the dying of the pope emeritus, the time has come for the present prefect of the papal family to inform his personal fact concerning the blatant calumnies and darkish maneuvers which have tried in useless to solid shadows on the German pontiff’s magisterium and actions,” the press launch mentioned.

Gaenswein’s account would “lastly make recognized the true face of one of many best protagonists of current many years, too usually unjustly denigrated by critics as ‘Panzerkardinal’ or ‘God’s Rottweiler,’” it mentioned, referring to some widespread media nicknames for the German recognized for his conservative, doctrinaire bent.

Particularly, the writer mentioned Gaenswein would tackle the “Vatileaks” scandal, through which Benedict’s personal butler leaked his private correspondence to a journalist, in addition to clergy intercourse abuse scandals and one of many enduring mysteries of the Vatican, the 1983 disappearance of the 15-year-old daughter of a Vatican worker, Emanuela Orlandi.