Man On A Mission

Monsignor Georg Gänswein dedicates all his energy to Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI. It's a juggling act he pulls off with passion, heart, and style.

- Ignazio Ingrao

Who would have thought that the son of a blacksmith from a small town in Germany’s Black Forest would end up in the Church’s history books? And yet, that’s exactly what happened: Monsignor Georg Gänswein, titular Archbishop of Urbisaglia, serves two popes: the current Pope, Francis, and the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, who both live a few hundred meters away from each other.

IN THE NAME OF FAITH

This is an absolutely new situation in the history of the Church—and an additional reason to pay special attention to Father Giorgio, as he had always been fondly called in the papal apartment until he became an archbishop. In the morning, Monsignor Gänswein works at the Apostolic Palace. As the Prefect of the Papal Household, he oversees all papal audiences, meetings, and official visits. In the afternoon, he goes to the monastery of Mater Ecclesiae inside the Vatican Gardens, where he works as Pope Benedict’s personal secretary. Here’s how the monsignor describes his job: Together with his assistants, the Prefect of the Papal Household is in charge of all the public audiences of the Pope, including the general one held on Wednesday mornings in St. Peter’s Square. He also takes care of papal audiences with heads of state as well as with government officials, cardinals, heads of dicasteries, and bishops. There are also visits by Bishops’ Conferences and prominent political and cultural guests.