• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Catholic Review

Catholic Review

Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Menu
  • Home
  • News
        • Local News
        • World News
        • Vatican News
        • Obituaries
        • Featured Video
        • En Español
        • Sports News
        • Official Clergy Assignments
        • Schools News
  • Commentary
        • Contributors
          • Question Corner
          • George Weigel
          • Elizabeth Scalia
          • Michael R. Heinlein
          • Effie Caldarola
          • Guest Commentary
        • CR Columnists
          • Archbishop William E. Lori
          • Rita Buettner
          • Christopher Gunty
          • George Matysek Jr.
          • Mark Viviano
          • Father Joseph Breighner
          • Father Collin Poston
          • Robyn Barberry
          • Hanael Bianchi
          • Amen Columns
  • Entertainment
        • Events
        • Movie & Television Reviews
        • Arts & Culture
        • Books
        • Recipes
  • About Us
        • Contact Us
        • Our History
        • Meet Our Staff
        • Photos to own
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
        • CR Media platforms
        • Electronic Edition
  • Advertising
  • Shop
        • Purchase Photos
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
        • Magazine Subscriptions
        • Archdiocesan Directory
  • CR Radio
        • CR Radio
        • Protagonistas de Fe
  • News Tips
  • Subscribe
Archbishop Georg Gänswein, former secretary to Pope Benedict XVI, is pictured in a 2019 file photo. (OSV News photo/Harald Oppitz, KNA)

Archbishop Gänswein reflects on his new diplomatic role

December 22, 2024
By OSV News
OSV News
Filed Under: News, Vatican, World News

Share
Share on Facebook
Share
Share this
Pin
Pin this
Share
Share on LinkedIn

VILNIUS, Lithuania (OSV News) — Archbishop Georg Gänswein, appointed in June as apostolic nuncio to the Baltic states, has shared his insights on his new diplomatic and pastoral responsibilities. Previously serving as Pope Benedict XVI’s private secretary and later as prefect of the Papal Household, he was sent home to Germany by Pope Francis in June 2023 — “a decision that had to be digested,” he said.

A year later, he moved further north and now represents the Vatican in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, three countries on the eastern flank of NATO.

“The change was enormous. I had never worked in a diplomatic mission in my previous life. As prefect of the Pontifical Household, I had many contacts at diplomatic and political level,” he said, but “receiving diplomats and politicians in the Vatican is one thing, being apostolic nuncio and thus representative of the Holy See anywhere in the world is another. I am now in Lithuania and am devoting myself to this challenging task with energy and trust in God,” Archbishop Gänswein said.

Pope Francis meets Archbishop Georg Gänswein, personal secretary to the late Pope Benedict XVI, in the library of the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican in this May 19, 2023, file photo. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

In an interview with KNA, the German Catholic news agency, Archbishop Gänswein discussed the ongoing war in Ukraine and the palpable sense of concern in the Baltic region, especially with Russia as a neighbor. He acknowledged that fear and hardship are prevalent but stressed the importance of hope and resilience in these difficult times.

“The war in Ukraine has fundamentally changed things, especially here in the Baltic region, which has Russia as a neighbour on its eastern border. People in all three Baltic countries are filled with a level of concern that is palpable in the atmosphere, regardless of the specific threat from the east,” the former papal secretary said.

He stressed that the concern about the preservation of peace is “omnipresent” in the Baltic states and “influences everyday life.”

If war were to spread, “the Baltic states would probably be the first to be affected. It takes inner resistance not to be infected or even dominated by fear and hardship,” he told KNA.

He said instead of setting his own priorities, his position as nuncio “set them” automatically. He shifted from being the pope’s right hand to the diplomatic representative of the Holy See — two very different jobs.

“A key objective is to actively help maintain peace,” he said of his priorities. “As we know, the Vatican is not a military, economic or financial ‘power,’ but a spiritual one … The pope, the church and the Vatican exude a moral charisma that people feel, that gives them hope and opens up perspectives that no other institution can match,” Archbishop Gänswein said.

With the war in Ukraine, “The Holy See and Pope Francis are trying to mediate in various ways and at various levels,” he said. “We know about the numerous appeals for peace, but also about the concrete aid, even if this only appears to be a drop in the ocean. The Vatican is endeavouring to do all it can to contribute to this goal, aware of the limited resources available.”

On many occasions, the nuncio said, “Pope Francis reminds us of the cruelty of war and appeals to the conscience of those in power to finally make peace. The incessant call for peace, and not to give up in the face of resistance, is an essential element of Vatican diplomacy.”

The war affected ecumenical dialogue, the Baltic states nuncio said. “The difficulties within the Orthodox Church have led to a standstill in ecumenical endeavours in the Baltic region, which, in human judgement, can only be overcome once the issue of peace has been resolved. Many Orthodox priests have not only distanced themselves from the Moscow Patriarchate, they have broken with it.”

“Due to this precarious situation within the Orthodox hierarchy, ecumenical meetings at the level of the bishops are currently not possible, which is noted with concern on the Catholic side,” the archbishop said.

Markus Nowak, a staff writer for KNA, a German Catholic news agency, conducted the interview. OSV News contributed to this report.

Read More Vatican News

Pope Leo to inaugurate his papacy May 18; a look at his May calendar

New pope calls for Christian witness in world that finds faith ‘absurd’

Full text of first public homily of Pope Leo XIV

Midwest Augustinians celebrate in Pope Leo XIV a brother ‘rooted in the spirit of St. Augustine’

Pope Leo XIV: A biographical timeline

First American pope: White Sox fan, Villanova grad, Peru missionary, Vatican leader

Copyright © 2024 OSV News

Print Print

Share
Share on Facebook
Share
Share this
Pin
Pin this
Share
Share on LinkedIn

Primary Sidebar

OSV News

Click here to view all posts from this author

For the latest news delivered twice a week via email or text message, sign up to receive our free enewsletter.

| MOST POPULAR |

  • Chicago native Cardinal Prevost elected pope, takes name Leo XIV

  • U.S. cardinal’s résumé, demeanor land him on ‘papabile’ lists

  • Who was Pope Leo XIII, the father of social doctrine?

  • Kenyan cardinal claims he wasn’t invited for conclave; Vatican says invite is automatic

  • Advocates of abuse victims are rooting for a Filipino pope — and it’s not Cardinal Tagle

| Latest Local News |

Baltimore-area Catholics pray for new pope, express excitement for his leadership

Archbishop Lori surprised, heartened by selection of American pope

Missionary discipleship sees growth after Seek the City initiative

Knights of Columbus honored for pro-life support

Cumberland Knott scholar Joseph Khachan a perfect fit for program’s mission in Western Maryland  

| Latest World News |

Pilgrim Passport to 3 Wisconsin Marian shrines help faithful mark their Jubilee journey

Pope Leo to inaugurate his papacy May 18; a look at his May calendar

Report: Some House GOP members object to removing Planned Parenthood funds from Trump bill

New pope calls for Christian witness in world that finds faith ‘absurd’

Full text of first public homily of Pope Leo XIV

| Catholic Review Radio |

CatholicReview · Catholic Review Radio

Footer

Our Vision

Real Life. Real Faith. 

Catholic Review Media communicates the Gospel and its impact on people’s lives in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and beyond.

Our Mission

Catholic Review Media provides intergenerational communications that inform, teach, inspire and engage Catholics and all of good will in the mission of Christ through diverse forms of media.

Contact

Catholic Review
320 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
443-524-3150
mail@CatholicReview.org

 

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent

  • Pilgrim Passport to 3 Wisconsin Marian shrines help faithful mark their Jubilee journey
  • Who is our new pope, Pope Leo XIV?
  • Pope Leo to inaugurate his papacy May 18; a look at his May calendar
  • Report: Some House GOP members object to removing Planned Parenthood funds from Trump bill
  • Movie Review: ‘Another Simple Favor’
  • New pope calls for Christian witness in world that finds faith ‘absurd’
  • Full text of first public homily of Pope Leo XIV
  • Midwest Augustinians celebrate in Pope Leo XIV a brother ‘rooted in the spirit of St. Augustine’
  • Pope Leo XIV: A biographical timeline

Search

Membership

Catholic Media Assocation

Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association

The Associated Church Press

© 2025 CATHOLIC REVIEW MEDIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED