Vatican names Prelate Gänswein as ambassador to Baltic States

The German Catholic Prelate Georg Gänswein, the former long-time personal secretary to the late Pope Benedict XVI, has been assigned to serve as the Vatican’s ambassador to the Baltic states of Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia.

Gänswein, 67, has a strained relationship with Benedict’s successor and the current pontiff, Pope Francis.

Last June, Pope Francis transferred Gänswein away from Rome and back to his German home town of Freiburg, but did not assign him any new duties or an official office.

The Vatican announced Gänswein’s new assignment as Apostolic Nuncio in Vilnius on Monday.

Tensions between Gänswein and Pope Francis broke into public view after Gänswein published a book, “nothing but the Truth: My Life Beside Benedict XVI, immediately after the former pope’s death in December 2022’’.

In the book, Gänswein expressed his disappointment with Francis and published some private letters.

The current pope reacted by accusing Gänswein of spreading untruths and showing a “lack of humanity.’’

Pope Francis also accused Gänswein of having used Benedict XVI, who was born in Germany as Josef Ratzinger and resigned as leader of the Catholic Church in 2013.

Following his resignation, he held the title of “pope emeritus’’ until his death.