Archbishop Gänswein ‘Better’ and Grateful for Prayers After Hospitalization

Archbishop Gänswein thanked those who had prayed for his recovery, saying: “May God reward you for your prayerful support.”

Archbishop Georg Ganswein, prefect of the papal household, prays after a Memorial Mass for the third anniversary of the death of Mother Angelica, Foundress of EWTN, on March 27, 2019.
Archbishop Georg Ganswein, prefect of the papal household, prays after a Memorial Mass for the third anniversary of the death of Mother Angelica, Foundress of EWTN, on March 27, 2019. (photo: Daniel Ibanez / EWTN)

VATICAN CITY — Archbishop Georg Gänswein is expected to leave hospital Thursday. 

Sources close to the personal secretary of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI told CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German language news partner, that he was “better and improving steadily.”

Archbishop Gänswein, 64, thanked those who had prayed for his recovery, saying: “May God reward you for your prayerful support.” 

The prefect of the papal household was hospitalized with kidney pain Sept. 11. CNA Deutsch reported that he would leave hospital in Rome Sept. 17 and return to the Vatican.

Archbishop Gänswein was born in Riedern am Wald, Germany, in 1956. In 1995, 11 years after his ordination, he left Germany for the Roman Curia, serving first at the Congregation for Divine Worship and later at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In 2003, he became personal secretary to the future Pope Benedict XVI.

He was appointed prefect of the pontifical household in 2012, continuing in the role after the resignation of Benedict XVI and the election of Pope Francis a year later.

Earlier this year, he released a book, “How the Catholic Church Can Restore Our Culture,” collecting his interviews, homilies, and essays. It was published in English April 15 by EWTN Publishing. 

“The Gospel does not change according to the times, it is revealed by Christ if we seek to proclaim and live according to Him ‘in season and out of season,’ in the words of St. Paul,” Archbishop Ganswein said in an interview with ACI Stampa, CNA’s Italian-language news partner.

L to R: Register staff writer Lauretta Brown’s sister Kateri spends time with their brother Jimmy and Jimmy enjoys the water.

Down Syndrome Awareness Month, and Edward Sri on Prayer (Oct. 28)

October is Respect Life Month for parishes and dioceses around the United States. It’s also Down Syndrome Awareness Month, which goes hand in hand with the Church’s call to respect the dignity of every life — especially those who are most vulnerable. Today on Register Radio, the Register’s Washington correspondent Lauretta Brown shares a personal story with us about how one child with Down syndrome captured her heart and motivates some of her reporting. And then, we turn to prayer, with well-known author and theologian Edward Sri. We discuss his latest book, ‘When You Pray: A Clear Path to a Deeper Relationship with God’