Pope Francis has met with Archbishop Georg Gaenswein, the longtime secretary of Pope Benedict XVI. Gaenswein was a key figure in his recent funeral but has raised eyebrows with an extraordinary memoir in which he settles old scores and reveals palace intrigue about the decade-long cohabitation of the two pontiffs.
The death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI passed in an entirely un-papal-like manner Saturday, with a two-sentence announcement from the Vatican press office, making clear once and for all that Benedict stopped being pope a decade ago.Â
The Vatican has detailed rituals and procedures to follow when a pope dies, but it has not published such rules for a pope emeritus. As a result, official word Wednesday that the health of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI had worsened prompted questions about what happens if and when he dies.
Vigano said in his Aug. 26 expose that Benedict imposed "canonical sanctions" on McCarrick in 2009 or 2010 that were similar to what Francis imposed this summer after McCarrick was accused of groping a minor.
Faced with such evidence, Vigano altered his story to say that while Benedict's measures were in place, McCarrick "didn't obey" them and Vigano was unable to enforce them.
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