Paul Badde: What do you recall thinking on the evening of February 11, 2013, when a lightning bolt hit the dome of St Peter’s Basilica, after Pope Benedict had resigned earlier that day? Archbishop Georg Gänswein (Benedict XVI’s personal secretary): I remember the storm, but I did not witness the lightning with my own eyes. Indeed, I noticed it the first time in a photo and after that, of course, many more times. The impression was one of a sign from above, a reaction, which you might – or even must – associate with the happenings of that morning. So, it was some kind of reaction. Then, I wondered whether it meant something good or whether it was meant to say “Take care.” PB: I still remember the tremendous noise. How did the Holy Father react? AGG: As far as I remember, Benedict only noticed the rumble – only the sound and not the sight of the lightning. I showed him some photos in the news of the lightning. That was perhaps one or two days later; I do not quite recall any more. He asked me, “Is that real or a photo composite?” In fact, it was real; it is obvious that nature had spoken here very clearly … PB: On the evening of February 28, 2013, the whole world could see your tears when you left the Pope. You were as sad as if it was a funeral. You seemed almost in shock. Since then, you have passionately defended this step. How did you manage to make peace with the decision, which changed your life from one second to the next? AGG: You are right, leaving the Palazzo here on February 28 was very painful and it hurt me much. We went down out of the Palazzo, crossed Damasushof, took the car to the helipad and had the helicopter take us to Castel Gandolfo. Indeed, I found myself compelled to cry openly. I was not able to keep myself together any more. Three years have passed since that day and much has happened in the meantime. There has been a lot of reflection, personal reflection included. Also, many things have occurred on the outside. Pope Benedict was – and to this day all the more is – very much at peace with his decision to resign and that it was the right step to take. That helped me personally to overcome my initial resistance and accept what Pope Benedict truly realised after much struggle and prayer, what he found to be the right thing and then decided on. PB: It was a very sad day. What was the happiest day in your service for Pope Benedict? AGG: I do not know whether it was the happiest day, but it was perhaps the most incisive day: the election day [in 2005]. At the time, Cardinal Ratzinger had chosen me to follow him to the conclave as a so-called Ecclesiasticus. Along with the doctors and everyone else, who were not allowed to be present at the election, we waited with excitement for the outcome in the Sala Regia or in the Sala delle Benedizioni. It was a peculiar atmosphere. When the door to the Sistine Chapel opened and the youngest of the cardinals came out, saying that they had reached a decision, I saw Pope Benedict in the back standing under the Last Judgment artwork, dressed all in white. That was the most incisive moment in my whole life. Paul Badde is a German author. This is an extract from an interview first broadcast on EWTN Germany in 2016