Female deacons in another two to three years according to German sister
Katharina Ganz, a Franciscan nun from Oberzell, sees Pope Leo XIV's restrained leadership style as a welcome sign. She also explains when she expects the first reforms to take place in the Church.
For Sister Katharina Ganz, the former Superior General of the Oberzell Franciscan nuns, Pope Leo XIV used the first days of his pontificate primarily for team building. He praised the Curia and its staff, but at the same time "admonished the cardinals to steer the ship of St. Peter together with him," Ganz said on Bavarian Radio on Saturday.
In her words, the new pope is taking his steps "sustainably and cautiously," even if this is not always immediately apparent to the outside world. Leo XIV was elected on May 8, 2025; as of Friday, he has now celebrated 100 days in office. Ganz finds the Pope's rather reserved style "refreshing in a world of populism and a go-getter mentality." Leo appears "polite, even shy," she said, and while that may seem unspectacular to some, it is precisely for that reason that it sends a positive signal.
Although Leo has considerable leadership experience, she says she hears that he doesn't make decisions alone. An Augustinian monk also told her that the pontificate could be disappointing for Central Europeans: "The issues that are burning under our fingernails won't be able to be tackled immediately by Prevost." However, if Leo continues to pursue synodality and takes decentralization seriously, he will have no choice but to allow for changes in church doctrine or regional differences in the pace of reform, Ganz explained. For example, it might one day be possible in Germany to ordain women as deacons. "Perhaps it will take another two or three years," Ganz said.
The one on the right. She lives for reform....at any price.
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