suspended
indefinitely a German Roman Catholic prelate known as the “luxury
bishop” or “bling bishop”, from his diocese for spending $43m of Church
funds on his residence.
“The Holy See deems it appropriate to authorise a period of leave from the
diocese for Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst,” the Vatican said in a statement
on Wednesday.
But the pontiff, who has been stressing austerity, stopped short of
dismissing him outright, a step which many German Catholics and the
media had called for.
In a highly unusual move, Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst of Limburg
was ordered to leave his diocese while an investigation and audit into cost
over-runs is held, the Vatican statement said.
The bishop, who met the pope on Monday, “was currently not in a position
to carry out his episcopal ministry”.
The statement said he should stay outside his diocese “for a period,” and
that it would be administered in his absence by a vicar-general.
It did not specify how long the bishop would have to stay away but added
that this would depend on an analysis of the finances of his Limburg
diocese and the responsibilities for its high costs.
The issue has proven a major embarrassment for the pope, who has called
for a more austere Church that sides with the poor.
He has told bishops not to live like princes, and has also promised to clean
up the murky finances of the Vatican bank.
The German media has dubbed Tebartz-van Elst “the luxury bishop” after
an audit of his spending, ordered after a Vatican monitor visited Limburg
last month, revealed the residence cost at least six times more than
planned.
The Central Committee of German Catholics, which brings together all the
Catholic lay associations in the country, said it was satisfied with the
decision to suspend the bishop.
“Pope Francis’ decision offers a chance at a new beginning in the diocese
of Limburg where the situation has become heavy in recent weeks both for
believers there and for the Church in Germany as a whole,” its president
Alois Glueck said.
He has apologised for any “carelessness or misjudgment on my part”, but
denies wrongdoing.
The bishop flew to Rome last week with low-cost airline Ryanair to explain
himself to Francis – following accusations he took an expensive ticket on a
trip to India and squandered money.
German media, citing official documents, said the residence had been fitted
with a free-standing bath that cost 15,000 euros, a conference table that
cost 25,000 euros and a private chapel for 2.9 million euros.
The “luxury bishop” story has deeply embarrassed a Church enjoying an
upswing in popularity thanks to Pope Francis’s mass appeal and following
years of criticism for hiding s*xual abuse cases among clergy.
Tebartz-van Elst, 53, is 22 years away from official retirement age in the
Church and his saga represents an extraordinary management quandary
for the Vatican.
Even if he eventually steps down from the diocese of Limburg, he would
retain the title and rank of bishop, meaning the Vatican would have to find
another post for him somewhere.
The scandal has also put pressure on German bishops for more financial
transparency in the entire Church in their country, forcing them to scrap
centuries of secrecy over the reporting the value of their private
endowments.
Germany’s church tax, collected by the state and handed over to the
churches, raised 5.2 billion euros for the Catholics and 4.6 billion euros
for Protestants in 2012.
According to some media reports in Germany, the Limburg scandal has
prompted more Germans to decide to formally leave the Church.
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