In a significant diplomatic move, Archbishop Georg Gänswein has formally assumed his position as the Vatican’s Apostolic Nuncio to the Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. On Friday 6 September, the German prelate presented his credentials to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, marking the official start of his new diplomatic mission. Gänswein, once the trusted private secretary to Pope Benedict XVI, now steps into a role that bridges the Vatican’s relationship with a historically Catholic region during a time of heightened geopolitical tension.
Gänswein’s arrival in Vilnius was marked by a ceremonious display, with photographs from the Lithuanian presidential office capturing the archbishop in traditional clerical attire—a black cassock accented with a violet sash and cape—walking along the red carpet to the Presidential Palace. There, he delivered his credentials against the backdrop of the Lithuanian and Vatican flags, symbolizing the enduring diplomatic ties between the Holy See and Lithuania.
Archbishop Gänswein’s appointment to the Baltic region comes after a period of transition in his ecclesiastical career. Following the passing of Pope Benedict XVI, Gänswein was transferred back to his home archdiocese of Freiburg by Pope Francis in 2023 but without any specific role assigned. His new appointment as Apostolic Nuncio to Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia in June 2024 signals a fresh chapter in his career, moving from his close ties with the late Benedict XVI to a critical diplomatic position in one of Europe’s most geopolitically sensitive regions.