Papst Benedikts Erbe für Kirche und Welt: Ein Gespräch mit Erzbischof Gänswein

Archbishop Georg Gänswein studied theology and philosophy at the University of Freiburg and at the Gregorian University in Rome. He was ordained a priest in 1984. He earned his doctorate and habilitation in canon law at LMU Munich. During and after his studies, Archbishop Gänswein served in various pastoral roles in Munich and Freising (as a canon of the cathedral). In 1995, he was initially appointed to the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in Rome. The following year, at the request of the then-Prefect, Cardinal Ratzinger, he transferred to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He also taught canon law at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. Since 2003, Gänswein served as Cardinal Ratzinger's private secretary and accompanied the Dean of the College of Cardinals to the 2005 conclave. In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Gänswein Prefect of the Papal Household, and in 2013, he consecrated him a titular archbishop. Archbishop Gänswein adopted the motto "Testimonium perhibere veritati": "To bear witness to the truth" (John 18:37). Gänswein remained Benedict's private secretary even after his retirement, until the Pope's death. Since 2024, he has served as Apostolic Nuncio to Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia, based in Vilnius. Archbishop Gänswein is the author and editor of books about Pope Benedict XVI, the Church, and the faith. He has received numerous honors and awards.