Benedict XVI ordered the destruction of the private archives

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, before his death, ordered the destruction of all his private archives.

This revelation comes in a new book by Joseph Ratzinger’s private secretary, Archbishop Georg Ganswein, which threatens to stir up unrest in Francis’ papacy.

And Benedict XVI, according to his closest aides, said, “Private papers must be destroyed. This applies without exception and without escape.”

“I have been given precise instructions with indications which I feel obligated to respect in respect of his library, the manuscripts of his books, the documents associated with the council and his correspondence,” Ganswin said.

The book in question is called “Nient’altro che la verità” (“Nothing but the truth,” in the literal translation), and it also brings veiled criticisms of Pope Francis, such as his decision to live in the Casa Santa Marta rather than the luxurious apostolic residence. castle.

“The personal spaces of recent popes equaled those of Francis in the apartment of Santa Marta,” says the archbishop in the book. “It was not right to oppose Pope Francis to Pope Benedict because of their differences in the choice of housing. To avoid the deterioration of the rooms, [o Palácio Apostólico] It still has to be taken care of, so the issue of economics has nothing to do with it, it’s a matter of personal psychology,” he adds.

In the same work, Ganswein also reveals his dissatisfaction with his removal from the leadership of the province of the Pontifical Dynasty in 2020, even though he still officially holds the position. “I was shocked and speechless, I felt like a mayor in half,” says the archbishop, noting that Benedict XVI himself joked about the issue.

“I think Pope Francis no longer trusts me and wants you to be a guardian,” said Ratzinger, according to his private secretary.

Ganswein’s remarks sparked reactions at the highest levels of the Roman Curia, just one day after the Pope’s titular burial.

“Obviously there are sensitivities, wounds and pains, but this is always the case in evangelical history. It would be wise to remain silent and seek the profound message of Benedict XVI,” Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Academy for Life.