Archbishop Gänswein Recalls That Ordaining Women Priests Is Impossible

“We get along very well, beyond our differences of character, style and temperament,” the prefect of the Household declared from the start, in order to dismiss the idea of any opposition between Pope Francis and himself.

The archbishop finds the Land of Bavaria’s initiative to put crosses in all public places most fortunate, and he thinks it helps to keep the government from completely taking over in every domain. He considers Cardinal Reinhard Marx’s declarations on the matter “not very inspired.” Indeed, the archbishop of Munich and Freising said this initiative would sow “division, trouble and conflict.”

With regards to abolishing priestly celibacy as a remedy for the lack of vocations, the secretary to the pope emeritus recalled that “even if the needs are great, one does not throw a treasure overboard.”

In the same perspective, the archbishop defended the impossibility of ordaining women priests: “The Church is bound to the will and the word of Christ. She cannot change anything about a question that is so essential for the Faith,” he declared.

As for the debate on Islam and its ability to be assimilated in Germany, Archbishop Gänswein was rather pessimistic. He has no illusions, in fact. He declared that he respects Muslims who do not hide their faith but practice it no matter where they are. Christians ought to take a lesson from them. In other words, the neutrality of the German government is not going to slow down the rise of this religion in Europe. Christians should show zeal for their own Faith.

Georg Ganswein was born on July 30, 1956, in Baden-Wurttemburg. His current functions in the service of the pope emeritus and of the currently reigning sovereign pontiff put him in an exceptional position within the Vatican.