The Gänswein interview doesn’t signal mutinous intrigue aboard the bark of Peter. But, it does afford us reasons to celebrate being alive at this moment in the life of God’s pilgrim people

Yet Another Press Misreading of Vatican News

by John Paul Shimek

Both England’s Tablet and the United States’ Commonweal incited debate last week with their accounts of an exclusive interview Archbishop Georg Gänswein granted the German television network ZDF. While the Tablet took more editorial liberties than Commonweal,Commonweal signaled tacit approval of the Tablet’s editorial stance.

The bottom line: Gänswein’s interview indicates the Prefect of the Papal Household has come “unbound,” that he doesn’t much care for his new boss; and so, it is time for him to go, according to theTablet. Perhaps, he should pack his bags and vacate Rome.

The first round of comments came from the Tablet’s deputy editor, Elena Curti. On March 19, she claimed the interview revealed that the archbishop “would have preferred other candidates to succeed Benedict XVI” and that “By stating that he would have preferred that someone other than Pope Francis had been elected to the Chair of Peter he has made his own position untenable.” So, she concludes that Gänswein should “devote himself exclusively to serving the Pope Emeritus—or leave Rome altogether.”

What was it that ticked her off? Commonweal’s associate editor, Grant Gallicho, honed in on the controversial statements from the March 13 ZDF interview, indicating that

In the … interview, [Gänswein] … mentioned that Francis was not his choice to succeed Benedict. “I had favored other candidates,” he said. “I was wrong—but then so were other people.” Pope Francis may be fawned over by the media, he continued, “but that won’t always be the case.” … The pope is not “everybody’s darling,” he added—in English.

But, the left-of-center magazines might not have released all the facts in this issue. Here are some details the two editors failed to mention.

What Did the Archbishop Really Say?

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