Gänswein: Dismissal Was "Shock," Made Him Sick

His dismissal as Prefect of the Papal Household in February "hurt" Archbishop Georg Gänswein, 64, and was like a "shock," he told Bunte.de (29 December).

Unexpectedly, Francis told him at the end of January that in future he should work exclusively for Benedict XVI. Gänswein felt this was a "punishment", but he now knows that it was "not like that."

Francis' decision literally made him sick. After weeks of fatigue, he was diagnosed in September with a kidney disease.

However, after a stay in hospital, he had a "clarifying, very strengthening and encouraging" meeting with Francis.

Picture: Georg Gänwesein, © Mazur, CC BY-NC-SA, #newsZxfahihssl