Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI passed away on December 31st. His private secretary, Archbishop Ganswei, spoke to the Vatican media before the funeral, referring to the last hours of Benedict XVI’s life.
(Vatican News Network)Msgr. Georg Gänswein, personal secretary of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, was interviewed on January 4 on Vatican Radio. He recalled the last moments of the earthly life of the Pope Emeritus.
When asked what Benedict XVI’s last words were, Archbishop Ganswei said: “I did not hear Benedict XVI’s last words, but in the middle of the night before his death, the nurse on duty heard his last words. Around 3 o’clock he said: ‘Lord, I love you’. The nurse told me this morning as soon as I entered the room of the Pope Emeritus. This is the last sentence he understands”.
Archbishop Ganswei went on to say, “Usually, we read the daily service together at his bedside. That morning, I also said to the Holy Father Pope, ‘We are like yesterday. I prayed out loud. You are with us in spirit.’ Together “In fact, he could no longer pray aloud because he was having difficulty breathing. In that moment, he just opened his eyes a little—he understood what was being asked of him—and nodded in agreement. So, I started singing. Arrived at 8, his breathing became more and more panting, two doctors who were present at the time told me: ‘I’m afraid this is the last time he has to pass in this world.’ ”
“I called the members of the Society for the Memory of the Redeemer and Sister Bridget, who took care of the Pope Emeritus, and asked them to come because it was the end of life. She was still conscious,” Archbishop Ganswei said. Having previously prepared scriptures to accompany the dying man, we prayed together for about 15 minutes as Benedict became more and more breathless, it was evident that his breathing was becoming more and more difficult. I see I looked at one of the doctors and asked, “Now, dying?” And he answered me: “Yes, it started, but we don’t know how long it will last.”
Regarding what happened next, Archbishop Ganswei said: “We were all there, everyone was praying in silence. At 9:34, he breathed his last. Then we continued to pray, but not for the dying, but for the dead. At the end we sang a hymn of “Ave a tutti”. The Pope Emeritus died during the Octave, his favorite liturgical time and one of his on the feast day of his predecessor, San Silvestro”.
“I told everyone, ‘Let’s call Pope Francis right away, he should be the first to know.’ I called him and he said, ‘I’ll be right back!'” Archbishop Ganswei said. Then he came and I accompanied him to the bedroom where Benedict XVI died. I told everyone: “You stay”. After the pope greeted them, I gave him a chair and he sat on the bed praying. He blessed and greeted. That’s what happened on December 31, 2022.”
Link URL: www.vaticannews.cn
