Archbishop Georg Gänswein has offered a fresh glimpse into the delicate relationship between Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, insisting that the retired pope never publicly criticised his successor even when particular decisions, including restrictions on the Traditional Latin Mass, caused him personal sorrow.
In an interview with La Repubblica, Archbishop Gänswein said Benedict “never commented” on Traditionis Custodes, though he repeated his own earlier judgment that reading the text had caused Benedict pain. In a 2023 interview with Die Tagespost, Archbishop Gänswein said the restrictions on the Traditional Latin Mass had “hit him pretty hard” and that he believed they had “broke Pope Benedict’s heart”.
