Archbishop Georg Gänswein, Pope Benedict XVI’s former secretary, says a sense of “normality” is returning to the Vatican under Pope Leo XIV. Gänswein attributed the shift to a positive change in atmosphere and a renewed emphasis on core Catholic teachings.
Pope Leo XIV’s Impact
Gänswein, currently the Vatican’s nuncio to the Baltic states, told EWTN News in a Jan. 20 interview in Vilnius, Lithuania, that he met with Pope Leo twice last year, most recently in mid-December. Both meetings, he said, were “very, very well” received.
“The intervening period has made it very clear to me that — to put it somewhat idiosyncratically — normality is slowly returning,” Gänswein stated, adding that this development signals to him that “faith and the Holy Spirit are indeed at work.”
He explained that Pope Leo has been focusing on matters “not new, but which have been completely overlooked in recent years.”
Gänswein has served as nuncio to Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia since 2024, following 17 years as personal secretary to Pope Benedict XVI and 11 years as prefect of the Papal Household.
The archbishop praised Pope Leo’s “clear line when it comes to proclaiming the faith,” describing it as being done “joyfully and convincingly.” He noted that the Pope’s sermons and catechesis demonstrate “a man who lives and proclaims the faith with an Augustinian spirit.”
Concerns Regarding the German Synodal Way
Gänswein also addressed the Synodal Way in Germany, which is scheduled to hold its final assembly beginning Jan. 29. He expressed concern that the process could deepen divisions within both society and the Church.
He emphasized that any reforms must remain consistent with established Church teaching, stating that many of the Synodal Path’s demands “lead away from the faith.”
“There is no doubt that there is indeed a need to change and reform certain things here and there. I agree with that,” Gänswein said. “However, what has been shown so far on the Synodal Path is, for me, clear evidence that this is not about a return to a deepening of the faith, but about a watering down of the faith.”
He stressed that any changes must not contradict the Catholic Church’s positions on morality, ethics, the sacramental structure, or the authority of bishops. “I can only hope and pray that this wrong path will simply come to an end soon,” he added.
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