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Tag: Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst

  • Pope Francis Boots “Bishop of Bling”

    On Wednesday, German bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, aka the “bishop of bling” was temporarily expelled from the Pope’s diocese pending the result of a church inquiry into his lavish 31 million-euro ($42 million) residence. The German church is currently carrying out an investigation into his role in the multi-million dollar home construction.

    There has been no word from the Vatican regarding how long Bishop Tebartz-van Elst would be away for the diocese of Limburg. Rev. Wolfgang Roesch was scheduled to start in his new role as vicar general of Limburg on Jan. 1st but had to start working immediately in the absence of the bishop. The Vatican did, however, confirm that Bishop Tebartz-van Elst was not yet permanently removed, though fellow bishops of the diocese were doubtful that he would be allowed to return.

    Doubt was also expressed by the dean of the cathedral chapter, Guenther Geis, who said “This is a crisis of confidence that will be hard to overcome.”

    The cause of all the controversy stems from the exorbitant cost of the bishop’s residential complex. Tebartz-van Elst’s explanation for the cost was that the $42 million sum was actually spent on 10 different projects and some of the costs went into historic preservation of the buildings.

    The bishop was reported to have spent excessively on a number of other things, including: first class airline flights, a $475, 000 closet, a $20, 000 bathtub and he even spent money on a heated roof for his $4 million private chapel. This is in stark contrast to Pope Francis’ lifestyle. The Pope has chosen to trade in many of his Papal luxuries. He chose to drive his own car– a very modest 1984 Renault, and even pay his own hotel bills.

    The German public is out-raged by the alleged behavior or the bishop, and the general consensus is that he should be removed permanently. In August and September, over 4,000 people signed an open letter to the bishop criticizing his leadership style for being too authoritarian.

     

    (photo via catholic.org)

    source: Huffington Post

     

  • Pope Francis Expels Limburg Bishop

    Pope Francis temporarily expelled a German bishop from his diocese on Wednesday, due to his $42.7 million project to build a new residence. The Pope refused to completely remove Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst from his post in Limburg, though many associated with the Holy See had called for it.

    Pope Francis is known for his affinity towards a more toned-down mode of papal living – he’s moved into a Vatican guesthouse, and doesn’t ride around in a tricked-out Mercedes popemobile. During a recent trip to Brazil, he was driven in a Fiat, and has been seen in Fords and Volkswagons. Clearly Tebartz-van Elst’s actions have been seriously frowned upon.

    It’s not known how long Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst would remain exiled from the diocese of Limburg. It’s been confirmed that Rev. Wolfgang Roesch would run things during what the Vatican calls Tebartz-van Elst’s “period of time away.”

    Roesch had been scheduled to take control on January 1, but will begin running the diocese immediately, after much protest over the huge construction project. Pope Francis met with Tebartz-van Elst and Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, the head of the German bishops’ conference, last week. Soon after, the Vatican released a statement that Tebartz-van Elst “could no longer exercise his episcopal ministry.”

    Tebartz-van Elst claimed the almost $43 million spent was covering 10 projects beyond his residence complex, and that extra fees had been tacked on due of historical preservation regulations.

    There has been a lot of public disdain for the project, and the German press has called for Tebartz-van Elst to resign. There’s a transparent church tax in Germany that rakes in billions of euros a year, further scandalizing the project. The Vatican has made it clear that Pope Francis had made an objective decision on the matter, and that public outcry didn’t sway any proceedings.

    Tebartz-van Elst is no stranger to controversy. He’d been criticized by local priests after recalling the dean of Wetzlar for blessing a homosexual couple in 2008. Tebartz-van Elst also attempted to suppress media reports of a first-class flight to India after he’d upgraded it in 2012. The cagey bishop was appointed on November 28, 2007, by Pope Benedict XVI.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons.