Pope Suspends German ‘Luxury Bishop’.

Bishop Franz-Peter (Left) and Pope Francis (Right).

Pope Francis has suspended indefinitely a German prelate, Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, for spending $43 million of Church funds on his residence. The Vatican, in a statement on Wednesday, said that "The Holy See deems it appropriate to authorise a period of leave from the diocese for Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst". 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.

Bishop Franz-Peter in a vintage BMW.

The Bishop has been dubbed "the luxury bishop" by the German media 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.

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.
• A private chapel for 2.9 million euros.

The Central Committee of German Catholics, a body that brings together all the Catholic lay associations in the country, said it was satisfied with the decision to suspend the bishop. The group’s president, Alois Glueck said that "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".

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 of the value of their private endowments.

Source: ALJAZEERA.