Archbishop Georg Gänswein, the Vatican’s nuncio to the Baltic states, gives an exclusive interview to EWTN News in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Jan. 20, 2026. Credit: Tim Hotzelmann/EWTN News.

Jan 23, 2026 / 06:27 am (CNA).

Archbishop Georg Gänswein says last year's change of popes has brought a "whole new positive dimension" to the Vatican.

"Above all, there has been a change for the better in the atmosphere" with Pope Leo XIV, the Vatican’s nuncio to the Baltic states and Pope Benedict XVI's former secretary told Rudolf Gehrig of EWTN News during a Jan. 20 interview in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Gänswein said he met Leo twice last year, most recently in mid-December.

"Both meetings went very, very well. And the intervening period has made it very clear to me that — to put it somewhat idiosyncratically — normality is slowly returning," he said, calling it a sign for him that "faith and the Holy Spirit are indeed at work."

"I used the term normalization. For me, it is important to see that Pope Leo has simply emphasized some matters that are not new, but which have been completely overlooked in recent years."

Gänswein has been nuncio to Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, based out of Vilnius, since 2024. The archbishop’s diplomatic post follows 17 years as the personal secretary of Pope Benedict XVI and 11 years as the Vatican’s prefect of the Papal Household.

The nuncio, originally from Germany, also praised Leo's "clear line when it comes to proclaiming the faith," which he does "joyfully and convincingly."

"When you read his catechesis or sermons, you can sense that this is a man who lives and proclaims the faith with an Augustinian spirit," Gänswein said.

German Synodal Way

The archbishop also addressed the Synodal Way in Germany, also known as the Synodal Path, which is set to hold its sixth and final assembly starting Jan. 29.

Gänswein expressed concern that the process will lead to deeper division in society and the Church, and underlined that any possible reforms must always adhere to established Church teaching.

"Anyone who has followed the events surrounding the Synodal Path from the beginning to the present day can see one important thing, namely that a number of the demands of the Synodal Path lead away from the faith," he said.

"There is no doubt that there is indeed a need to change and reform certain things here and there. I agree with that," the nuncio said. "However, what has been shown so far on the Synodal Path is, for me, clear evidence that this is not about a return to a deepening of the faith, but about a watering down of the faith."

He said any changes cannot differ from the Catholic Church's position on morality, ethics, the sacramental structure of the Church, or the official authority of bishops.

"I can only hope and pray that this wrong path will simply come to an end soon," he added.