uni'alumni 2012_ENG

No one is as close to the Pope as he is: Dr. Georg Gänswein, priest from the Archdiocese of Freiburg, is the pri- vate secretary of Benedict XVI. Nicolas Scherger asked him what his office means to him and what he remembers about his years as a student in Freiburg. uni’alumni: Monsignore Gänswein, you accompanied Pope Benedict XVI on his trip to Germany in Sep- tember 2011. What was the visit to Freiburg like for you? Georg Gänswein: Freiburg, the last leg of the Holy Father’s trip to Germany, was a homecoming for me: I’ll never forget the cordial greeting, the almost Medi­ terranean enthusiasm, the awe-inspir- ing liturgical ceremonies, the many personal encounters, and the Pope’s speech at the Concert House. Pope Benedict XVI immediately struck a chord with the citizens of Freiburg. You studied at the University of Freiburg. What event from this time shaped you the most? It wasn’t so much a concrete event as a chain of events. As far as academics are concerned, I immersed myself in philosophy and theology. Various lec- tures, theological discussions, and many heated debates with classmates have become deeply ingrained in my memory. On a personal level, life in the Catholic boarding house, the Collegium Borromaeum, had a lasting impact on my development. In addition, I didn’t ­neglect the great educators “nature” and “culture” either. Do you still maintain contact with old acquaintances in Freiburg? Yes, of course. I am and remain a priest of the Archdiocese of Freiburg. Freiburg theology professors are known for voicing criticism, most recently concerning the reform of the Catholic Church. Have you been following these debates? Asking and grappling with burning ques- tions is the professor’s daily bread. ­Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to ­follow Freiburg’s contribution to the ­current reform debate in the Church very closely. However, the little that has reached my ears has been more chaff than wheat. What image would you use to ­describe a typical day at your job? A snowplow, blazing a trail through the glut of tasks in the Pope’s daily life. One of my most important responsibilities is to make sure that the daily work of the Georg Gänswein, born on 30 July 1956 in Waldshut on the High Rhine, grew up in Riedern, a village in the southern Black Forest. In 1976 he enrolled at the Freiburg Seminary. He studied Catholic theology in Freiburg and Rome and was ­ordained as a priest in 1984. In 1993 he completed his PhD in canon law in Munich. Gänswein’s disser- tation on Church membership according to the Second Vatican Council is regarded as the stan- dard work on the subject. After stints in Freiburg and Rome, he joined the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, whose then prefect Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger appointed him as his personal secretary in 2003. Since 2005 Georg Gänswein has fulfilled the same function for Pope Benedict XVI. In his free time he enjoys playing ten- nis and skiing. Photo: private The Holy Father’s Snowplow Pope Benedict XVI’s Visit to Freiburg Was a Homecoming for Georg Gänswein interview 12 Alumni Network uni'alumni 2012