Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst ordered to leave his diocese after $43m of church money was spent on his residence.
Pope Francis has taken many steps to bring transparency in the Vatican [Reuters]
Pope Francis has suspended indefinitely a German
Roman Catholic prelate known as the "luxury bishop" from his diocese for
spending $43m (31 million euros) 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.
Carelessness or misjudgment
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 sexual 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.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA
