Archbishop Gänswein reflects on his new diplomatic role

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.