Archbishop Georg Gänswein, former secretary of Pope Benedict XVI. / Credit: Alan Holdren/EWTN News
ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 8, 2025 / 16:28 pm (CNA).
ArchbishopGeorgGänswein,formersecretaryofPopeBenedictXVI,saidhehopesthebeatificationprocesswillbeginsoonfortheGermanpontiff,whodiedonDec.31,2022.
“Personally,Ihavegreathopesthatthisprocesswillbeopened,”thearchbishopandcurrentapostolicnunciotoLithuania,Latvia,andEstoniasaidinaninterviewwiththetelevisionchannelK-TV,whichairedDec.7.
AccordingtocurrentChurchregulations,apotentialbeatificationprocessforPopeBenedictXVIcouldonlybeginfiveyearsafterhisdeathunlessthecurrentpopegrantsspecialauthorizationbeforethen,asJosephRatzingerhimselfdidwithJohnPaulII,waivingthiswaitingperiod.
Intheexcerptfromtheinterview,publishedbytheGermanCatholicmediaoutletKatholisch,GänsweinemphasizedthatoneofPopeBenedict’sessentialqualitiesforunderstandingthefaithwasjoy.
Thearchbishopnotedthat,fortheGermanpontiff,iffaithdoesnotleadtojoy,“somethingisnotrightinone’slifeoffaith.Ratzinger,B
