Pope Francis with German Archbishop Georg Gaenswein, Prefect of the Papal Household and the personal secretary of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
Pope Francis’ decision to live in a modest guesthouse instead of the palatial papal apartments in Rome felt like an “affront”, the prefect of the papal household, Georg Gaenswein, told a German weekly newspaper in an interview published this week.
The Argentine Pope had complained that the Apostolic Palace was “gloomy” when he was elected in March and said he wanted to “live with people”, Gaenswein told Die Zeit.
The German archbishop said that he later got over the controversy and was now able to joke with the Pope about it.
In addition to being prefect, Gaenswein remains private secretary to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who lives in seclusion at the Vatican.
He said he was still hurting over Benedict’s announcement in February that he was resigning.
It had felt like “an amputation”, Gaenswein said.
“I have to frankly admit to myself this is painful, this accepting of the new role,” he was quoted as saying. “I have the impression that I am living in two separate worlds.”
The German said he was no longer “permanently at the beating heart” of the Vatican.
Asked his view of reforms undertaken by Francis, he said: “I start each day afresh wondering what will be changed today.”