The appointment garnered significant attention both at home and abroad, not least because the 68-year-old has something of a star-like if sometimes controversial status internationally.

He was after all Pope Benedict's personal secretary, and was Prefect of the Papal Household 2012-2023.

The move to the Baltic states certainly represents an interesting chapter in his career.

As nuncio, he combines the roles of diplomat and church leader, bridging the Vatican's religious and political responsibilities.

While Gänswein covers all three Baltic states, he resides in Vilnius, in the Catholic-majority Lithuania, but "Pealtnägija" was able to speak to him while he was in Tallinn.

"My first impressions are lovely," he said.

"I let everything I see and hear have its impact, taking it in without judgment. I am satisfied with what I see and hear; it has made an impression. All very good," Gänswein continued.

Although this was Gänswein's first interview with the Estonian media, he is no stranger to the spotlight more broadly.

Born in a small village in Baden-Württemberg, in then-West Germany, he chose to enter the priesthood at the age of 18, earning a doctorate in philosophy and becoming a theology professor.

When Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected pope in 2005, taking the Papal name Benedict XVI, Gänswein's role as his personal secretary meant he grew in prominence.

Estonian Catholic Helle Helena Puusepp said: "But he also knew everything that went on in the Vatican's corridors. To be precise, he was the conduit through which anyone who wished to have an audience with the pontiff had to pass, and who with, and when. Furthermore, numerous written requests were submitted to him—there were plenty of these, and he reviewed all of them first."

Estonian journalist Ülle Toode, who lives in Rome, characterized Gänswein as a behind-the-scenes power broker within the Vatican structure, a position he has had for decades.

"Or a gatekeeper, despite being a very prominent media figure—a so-called beautiful personality who fits into any context," she said.

Indeed, his nickname upon being appointed papal secretary was "Bello Giorgio," given at the time he was still relatively young and blue-eyed; some likened him to Hollywood star George Clooney.

"Arguably the most sensational personality to have graced the Vatican in recent years, he has appeared in newspaper columns, including even in Vanity Fair's Italian edition, which portrayed him as a young, athletic, successful, and handsome man at the Vatican," Toode continued.

For himself, the nuncio says he is well aware of the role the media plays in shaping his image, although he doesn't always approve of its portrayal.

"I don't want to regard the media as an enemy—certainly not. I've tried to communicate with the media openly, honestly, and clearly, to be cordial in our interactions," he said.

"Thank God, more serious questions are being asked now," he added, in relation to some of the hype when he first came to prominence.

"And all the preparations: Whether the meeting would go ahead with the abdication of Benedict XVI in 2013, the first time since Gregory VII, in 1415, Gänswein's role necessarily changed.

He divided his time between serving the retired pope and the new Pope Francis, acting as steward to the Argentinian.

After Benedict's death in 2022, Gänswein published a book titled Nothing But the Truth, in which he sought to dispel a harsh image of his former boss.

"Pope Francis was not very happy with the timing of the book's release or the extent to which it possibly shed too much light on the Vatican's inner workings," Puusepp noted.

Gänswein confirmed that he doesn't plan to write a sequel.

"That purpose was fulfilled in authoring that book. There is no longer any need to write another. Since there's no need, there's also no reason," he said.

Whether it was the book's controversial timing or something else, in 2023, Gänswein was relieved of his position as head of the Vatican's secretariat.

In April 2023, Pope Francis told an interviewer that he had told Gänswein to vacate his Vatican City apartment within a few months and then live either in Italy outside the Vatican or in his native Germany.

He was duly dispatched to Germany without a clearly defined new role, "Pealtnägija" reported.

Then in summer of this year, he was appointed new Papal nuncio to the Baltic states.

While Gänswein's new posting was initially met with little attention in Estonia, where Catholicism is a minority denomination, it generated widespread coverage in his home country.

In any case, he now finds himself in a diplomatic role where new rules and expectations apply.

For his "Pealtnägija" interview, Gänswein was initially allocated seven minutes to talk, but was good enough to extend it to over 20 minutes.

"Previously, I had personal responsibility in interviews to speak about everything I could, was allowed to, and had to say—simply, clearly, and comprehensibly," he added.

"Sometimes, that wasn't timely or politically correct, however."

"As a nuncio dealing with politics and diplomacy, my task is to be the voice of the Holy See. Here, the responsibility is to represent and not express personal opinions," he continued.

As to whether diplomatic service is a bit dull compared with his earlier career, he responded: "That's a rather loaded question if I may say."

"I must tell you, I haven't gotten bored, not for a single second.

"I spent many years in Rome and carried out key tasks. Being a nuncio here is an entirely different role and challenge, but it cannot be said that this new role is boring," he concluded.

Now, some Estonian Catholics have even gone as far as expressing their hopes that Gänswein one day become pope himself, with fan groups on social media dedicated to that eventuality, "Pealtnägija" reported.

The appointment of Gänswein as nuncio practically coincided with the elevation by Pope Francis of the apostolic administration of Estonia to the status of a diocese.

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