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Pope suspends German 'luxury bishop' Pope suspends German 'bling bishop'
(about 3 hours later)
Pope Francis has ordered the German Roman Catholic prelate known as the "luxury bishop" for spending €31m(£26m) on a residence to leave his diocese for an unspecified period. Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, the "bling bishop" of Limburg, has been temporarily suspended from his post by the pope. In a statement released on Wednesday, the Vatican said it had been confronted with a situation in which Tebartz-van Elst "could not follow his duties as bishop" and had decided to allow him "some time outside the diocese". A final verdict on the bishop's future is expected after the completion of an internal investigation into the Limburg building project.
The move, just short of a resignation, was taken against Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst of Limburg two days after he met the pope at the Vatican to discuss the scandal in the German church at a time when the pontiff is stressing the importance of humility and serving the poor. During his suspension Tebartz-van Elst will be replaced by vicar-general Wolfgang Rösch. According to the German news service dpa, the suspension would last for two to three months – but the Vatican press office said it could not comment on the accuracy of this claim.
Tebartz-van Elst has been under fire since an estimated cost of €31m (£26m) for the building, described by some newspapers as "palatial", emerged this month. In addition, he is facing legal action for allegedly lying under oath about a first-class flight to India in a row with the news magazine Der Spiegel.
It is hard to imagine a greater contrast between the alleged luxurious living habits of the German bishop and the ascetic style of the Argentinian pontiff, who, from his first hours in office, has made clear his desire for "a poor church … for the poor". Shunning the large and opulent apostolic palace, the pontiff has chosen instead to live in the simple surrounds of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, a Vatican guesthouse. He often travels in used cars, and has urged priests to do the same, telling them: "If you like the fancy one, just think about how many children are dying of hunger in the world."
In the wake of the revelations, Tebartz-van Elst flew to Rome on an easyJet flight more than a week ago, but was not granted an audition with Pope Francis until Monday. The bishop had described the meeting as "encouraging" to the press. Earlier on Monday the pope had given a sermon in which he castigated greed. "Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one's life does not consist of possessions," he had said in the chapel of Santa Marta.
There has been much speculation in the German press about the bishop of Limburg's future. On Tuesday the former secretary of Angela Merkel's CDU party had suggested that Tebartz-van Elst could be sent to Africa. "Perhaps one could recommend to the bishop that he take over a diocese in Africa, where he can win back his credibility," Heiner Geissler told ARD television.
The tabloid Bild suggested that the Vatican's action was more of a statement of support than a castigation, and a reminder that Pope Francis would not bow to public pressure in his decision-making. "It's a sign of trust – but not an acquittal," it wrote.
John L Allen, a Rome-based senior correspondent with the National Catholic Report, disagreed that it should be read as a sign of support, but thought Francis was giving the bishop a "soft landing".
"They are clearly realising that there is a problem in Limburg that needs to be solved but it looks like the pope has taken into account that Tebartz-van Elst is only 53," he said. In similar cases in the past, bishops have spent a few months in a monastery outside their diocese.
But not all of the bishop's critics were satisfied by the Vatican's reaction to the affair. The German light artist Oliver Bienkowski had on Sunday projected a caricature of the bishop onto the St Peter's dome in Rome, along with the caption "Thou shalt not steal". He said he did not expect the bishop would return to Limburg in three months' time and that the pope should have made this clearer.
He said his projection had been met with widespread approval from atheists and disappointed believers. "The separation between state and church in Germany still doesn't go far enough – now is the time for critics to raise their voices."
In Germany church taxes are collected centrally by the state, but critics say the church manages these funds with too little transparency.
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