| Georg Gänswein | |
|---|---|
Msgr. Gänswein and Pope Benedict XVI |
|
| Born | July 30, 1956 Riedern am Wald, Germany |
| Nationality | German |
| Other names | "Padre Georg" "Bel Giorgio" |
| Education | Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (J.C.D.) |
| Occupation | Priest Personal secretary of Pope Benedict XVI |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Georg Gänswein (born 30 July 1956 in Riedern am Wald, Waldshut, Baden-Württemberg) is a German Priest of the Roman Catholic Church, and the personal secretary of Pope Benedict XVI. He was named a Monsignor in 2000 by Pope John Paul II.
Known to Italians as "Padre Georg" or, due to his handsome looks, "Bel Giorgio" ("Beautiful George"), Gänswein was born in a small town in Germany and ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1984. Upon his ordination, Gänswein dedicated himself to rigorous academic activities. He received his J.C.D. degree from Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich in 1993, and arrived in Rome in 1995 as an official of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
In 1996, Gänswein was invited by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to join the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. After being appointed to Cardinal Ratzinger's staff, Gänswein became professor of canon law at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.
In 2000, Gänswein was elevated by Pope John Paul II to Chaplain of His Holiness. He replaced Josef Clemens as Ratzinger's personal secretary in 2003, upon Clemens's appointment as secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Laity. Ratzinger was elected to the papacy in 2005 and Gänswein was appointed to the office of Principal Private Secretary to His Holiness. A year later Pope Benedict XVI honoured his secretary with the distinction Prelate of His Holiness.
It was suggested that Gänswein was to replace the aging Cardinal Friedrich Wetter as the new Archbishop of Munich and Freising. However, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Cardinal Reinhard Marx as the new archbishop of the archdiocese in November 2007.
In his private life, Gänswein devotes his time to playing tennis, skiing, and flying airplanes. In an interview in July 2006, he described the Pope's day: "The Pope's day begins with Mass at 7am, followed by morning prayer and a period of contemplation. Afterwards we eat breakfast together, and my day then begins with sorting through the correspondence, which arrives in considerable quantity." He said that he accompanied Benedict to morning audiences, followed by lunch together, a "short walk," and a rest, after which he "[presents] to the Pope documents which require his signature, or his study and approval."[1]