Back home: What makes Georg Ganswein a living?

On July 1 there will be another archbishop in the Vyborg diocese. Since then, the former papal secretary Georg Ganswein has had to live in his home parish – by order of Pope Francis, as the Vatican officially announced.

There was and remains a great public interest in this personal decision, for which there has been no comparable case hitherto: a papal secretary advised two popes – Benedict XVI. and Francis – serve; Then one dies and the other takes him back to where Joseph Ratzinger once brought him to Rome. Without an intended office, Gänswein must return to Freiburg, despite his bishop’s rank.

Adverb like Gänswein ‘unintentional’

“Really unique,” ​​says church historian and Vatican expert Ulrich Nersinger. Because a bishop who is not retired and who is not entrusted with the leadership of the diocese is not really provided for in the world of Catholic offices. “It is conceivable to erect bishops, bishops titular, bishops titular and auxiliary titular bishops. But such a case as Gänswein is not envisaged.”

In this regard, the question now arises of how Archbishop Georg Ganswein will live in the future. One thing is certain: he cannot expect any money from the state government of Baden-Württemberg. Because in the state of Baden-Württemberg the bishops are funded by church tax money, in the free state by the state according to the Bavarian agreement of 1924.

No additional financial burdens on the state treasury

Accordingly, the press office of the state government reports on the BR’s request: “In Baden-Württemberg – unlike Bavaria – clergy salaries are not paid from the state budget at any time. Therefore, the return of Archbishop Gänswein will not be associated with any additional financial burden in the budget Country “.

But church historian Nersinger posits that it was for the pot of money for the Diocese of Freiburg fed by church taxes. Ganswein’s home parish already says it is in talks about possible activities in the diocese. What the archbishop will earn in the future will also depend on the nature of his work.

The Pope no longer wants Gänswein in Rome: “It would be foolish to deny it”

However: “We still have strange wording in the Vatican letter that says: ‘For every moment.’ So: ‘For now’ we go back to Freiburg. ‘So it’s not entirely clear whether the Pope will call him somewhere else at a time.'” later”. This makes it difficult for the Archdiocese of Freiburg to reliably plan with Gänswein. “This is legally uncertain for all involved,” says Nersinger.

He therefore wished the Pope to make a final decision regarding Gänswein. “Even if you no longer want someone in Rome – you get the impression that it would be foolish to deny it – you have to say clearly how someone is being protected.” Both formally and financially. But in the latter case, it becomes clear to the church historian: “I don’t think he should sit in front of Freiburg Cathedral in a hat and collect enough money.”

When in doubt, he still has royalties from his book Nothing but the Truth, which has been translated into several languages—and several lectures and public appearances that Ganswein probably won’t give up on in the future. In addition, Gänswein may have received pension benefits during his many years of service in the Vatican.