German Bishop of Limburg resigned
BERLIN — Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, the bishop of Limburg, resigned, due to his extravagant spending on renovations for his personal residence. His deeds angered his congregation and ran afoul of the pontiff’s message of humility and modesty for the Roman Catholic Church.
Pope Francis accepted his resignation, on Wednesday, “given that it has come to a situation in the Limburg diocese that prevents Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst from fruitfully carrying out his duties”.
The Limburg diocese confirmed in October that Bishop Tebartz-van Elst, 54 years old, had spent at least 31 million euros for the renovation of his residence and church buildings. The costs had originally been estimated at 5.5 million €.
The bishop traveled to the Vatican in October to offer his resignation to the pope. Pope Francis suspended him at the time, waiting for an investigation by Germany’s conference of bishops.
The bishop will get another position in the church, but refused to give any more details.
“We clearly feel there is a widespread need for the decision-making bodies and structures of the Catholic Church, which have grown over centuries and have proven themselves in many cases, to be made more clear and accountable”, said Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the head of the Germany’s conference of bishops.
“Today’s decision will and must serve as a signal for the whole church”, said the liberal Catholic group We Are Church. “The monarchical view of a bishop’s office that is not founded on Christian beliefs is out of date”.
Pope Francis is admired for his humbleness and a less opulent papal lifestyle.
“A bishop who is not at the service of his community does no good”, the pope said. “The minister completely dedicates himself to his community and loves it with all his heart, it is his family. The bishop and the priest love the church in their community, they strongly love it”.
According to the investigation, Bishop Tebartz-van Elst deliberately released false cost estimates to the public, because he “did not want the building to be a burden for him in public”.
Church officials refused to comment on whether Bishop Tebartz-van Elst had broken the law, but said prosecutors had been awaiting the outcome of the report, which they urged legal officials to examine.
