{"id":5872,"date":"2014-03-26T14:56:00","date_gmt":"2014-03-26T14:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/german-bishop-accused-of-luxurious-lifestyle-resigns\/"},"modified":"2014-03-26T14:56:00","modified_gmt":"2014-03-26T14:56:00","slug":"german-bishop-accused-of-luxurious-lifestyle-resigns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2014\/03\/german-bishop-accused-of-luxurious-lifestyle-resigns\/","title":{"rendered":"German bishop accused of luxurious lifestyle resigns (Updated)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Vatican City, Mar 26, 2014 \/ 08:56 am (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- Updated March 26, 2014 at 9:52a.m. MST. Adds comments from Cardinal Reinhard Marx at paragraph 3.<\/em><\/p>\n

\tIn a March 26 statement the Holy See announced its acceptance of the resignation of Bishop Franz-Peter Tebarts-van Elst, noting that the situation in his diocese does not allow the full exercise of his ministry.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cConsidering that in the diocese of Limburg a situation has arisen that prevents the fruitful exercise of the ministry of S.E. Mons. Franz-Peter Tebarts-van Elst,\u201d the statement read, \u201cthe Holy See has accepted the resignation of the Bishop presented on Oct. 20, 2013.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tIn comments made during a March 26 press conference in Berlin, Cardinal Reinhard Marx expressed that \"Now it is important that the diocese of Limburg is able to go down a good path with a common future.\"<\/p>\n

\t\"I will contribute to this process as much as I can and am entitled to. This requires willingness to reconcile, new trust and the power of prayer. Healing and a new start will be possible in this way.\"<\/p>\n

\tCardinal Marx is chairman of the German Bishops' Conference, and serves as the archbishop of Munich and Freising, in Germany.<\/p>\n

\tBishop Franz-Peter Tebarts-van Elst had until recently overseen the Diocese of Limburg and has been on suspension while a Vatican commission investigated accusations of the German press that the Bishop was leading a luxurious lifestyle, with some dubbing him the \u201cbishop of bling.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tIn the absence of a leader, the Holy See has appointed Bishop Manfred Grothe, an auxiliary of Paderborn, as the diocese\u2019s Apostolic Administrator.<\/p>\n

\tThe Holy See affirmed in their statement that the decision to accept Bishop Tebarts-van Elst\u2019s resignation came after the Congregation of Bishops \u201cstudied attentively the report of the Commission\u2026and of the Cathedral Chapter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tInitially launched last fall following an Oct. 21 meeting between the bishop and Pope Francis, the Vatican commission has been investigating the accusations against Bishop Tebarts-van Elst while he has been on leave.<\/p>\n

\tAmong claims made by media reports in Germany, some have accused the bishop of approving of spending more than $42 million on renovating his residence, which was ten times the original estimate.<\/p>\n

\tIn addition, German news magazine Der Spiegel wrote in June 2013 that the design of the structure resembled \u201ca monstrous luxury complex\u201d and was built \u201caccording to the wishes of Franz-Peter Tebartz van Elst.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tBishop Tebartz-van Elst has also come under criticism for flying first-class from India after visiting the poor there. A Hamburg prosecutor has charged that the bishop submitted false affidavits on the matter during a legal dispute between the bishop and Der Spiegel.<\/p>\n

\tAmid the controversy, the bishop\u2019s defenders have said that the home on his residence property was in fact ordered to be built by his predecessor, and that the bishop himself has stated that the cost overrun on the ten-building property includes spending on work needed for the sake of historic preservation.<\/p>\n

\tOthers have risen to his defense stating that on his way back from India, the diocese reportedly had only paid for a business class seat for the bishop\u2019s flight home, but that he was upgraded to first class because of flight miles accumulated by his vicar general.<\/p>\n

\tIt is believed by some that the relatively young bishop, 53, had been cleaning house in his diocese after its former leader, Bishop Franz Kamphaus, caused controversies with Rome by allowing church centers to provide counseling to women seeking an abortion, giving them special tickets protecting them from German law, under which abortion is technically illegal.<\/p>\n

\tBishop Tebartz-van Elst was ordained a priest for the Muenster diocese in 1985, and at the age of 44 was consecrated as an auxiliary bishop of the same diocese in 2003. He was installed as Bishop of Limburg in Jan., 2008.<\/p>\n

\tAccording to the Holy See\u2019s statement, Bishop Tebartz-van Elst \u201cwill recieve another assignment at the proper time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tUntil then, Pope Francis asked \u201cthe priests and faithful of the diocese of Limburg to willingly accept the decisions of the Holy See with docility and a desire to rediscover a spirit of charity and reconciliation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vatican City, Mar 26, 2014 \/ 08:56 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- Updated March 26, 2014 at 9:52a.m. MST. Adds comments from Cardinal Reinhard Marx at paragraph 3.<\/p>\n

\tIn a March 26 statement the Holy See announced its acceptance of the resignation of Bishop Franz…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vatican"],"yoast_head":"\nGerman bishop accused of luxurious lifestyle resigns (Updated)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Vatican City, Mar 26, 2014 \/ 08:56 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- Updated March 26, 2014 at 9:52a.m. MST. Adds comments from Cardinal Reinhard Marx at paragraph 3. 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