8 years ago
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Pope Suspends Germany's £26m 'Bling Bishop'
Pope Francis has suspended a German Catholic bishop dubbed the "bling bishop", who spent £26m (€31m) on his new residence.
The Vatican said: "The Holy See deems it appropriate to authorise a period of leave from the diocese for Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst."
The Most Rev Tebartz-van Elst, Bishop of Limburg, faced calls for his resignation after it was revealed that the cost of his residence was more than six times the planned amount.
His private quarters in a new diocesan building are reported to have cost some £2.47m (€2.9m) and included a 63sq m dining room and a £12,800 (€15,000) bathtub - paid for using the revenue from a religious tax in Germany.
He was investigated by a Vatican envoy after protests in his diocese against lavish spending.
The decision to suspend him was taken after Bishop Tebartz-van Elst met Pope Francis in Rome on Monday.
The Vatican did not say if the bishop would permanently leave the diocese but it said newly-named vicar general, Monsignor Wolfgang Roesch, would administer the diocese during his "period of time away".
Source:Skynews
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