Reform of the Curia is Unnecessary, Says Archbishop Gänswein

The Tablet (UK) ^ | 4/22/15 | Christa Pongratz-Lippitt

[marshmallow]

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s personal secretary said he believes reform of the Vatican bureaucracy, which has become a key theme of Pope Francis’ papacy, is not necessary.

Archbishop Georg Gänswein, who is also Prefect of the Papal Household, said: “I personally can see no significant reason which would necessitate a reform of the Curia at the moment. One or two changes have been made but that is part of the normal run of things. To speak of ‘Curial reform’ is, if I may so, somewhat of an exaggeration.”

Gänswein, whose view of the status quo in the Vatican are probably supported by a not inconsiderable number of the hierarchy, according to insiders, was giving an interview to the German website katholisch.de.

[Unam Sanctam]

I recall during the last conclave when everyone was parroting the line that the Curia must be reformed, I was skeptical then and am even more skeptical now. I’m with Abp Georg on this.

[livius]

The problem is that the Pope is replacing the Curia with his own secret group of “advisers,” who, because they are all his personal friends or sympathizers, get no public scrutiny and over which Church structures have no control.

Most members of the Curia were neither corrupt, nor lazy, or un-Christian, as he implied in his criticism of them on various occasions. Everything could stand improvement, of course, and I’m sure there would have been things that could have been done to make things more expeditious and efficient.

However, I don’t like this reliance on a secret “kitchen cabinet,” who (as I learn from the Spanish press) range from morally and doctrinally dubious to secularizing leftists to simple mediocrities, a company in which he is obviously comfortable. I think he felt he couldn’t control the Curia and many of them were obviously more conservative than he liked. - and that said bearing in mind that it’s all relative, and most of them were not conservative at all by normal standards. But they did respect the Church.