Germany's 'Bishop of Bling' resigns

Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst

The German bishop who spent millions on luxury features for his diocesan complex has resigned, the Vatican confirmed this morning. The Bishop of Limburg, Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst was called to a meeting at the Vatican last October after reports of his enormous spending at his new diocesan centre and private residence in western Germany emerged.

The renovation and building project came to more than £26million pounds - ten times over budget. Extravagances included £21,000 for a table, nearly £13,000 on a bath tub, and £627,000 on a garden. Bishop Tebartz-van Elst faces other accusations, including taking first class flights to India last year to visit projects for the poor.

The story has caused scandal across Germany, where Catholics register their faith and must pay a small stipend to the Church through taxation. Thousands of Catholics are reported to have resigned from the Church in protest.

After a 20 minute meeting with Pope Francis, Bishop Tebartz-van Elst went on leave for three months. Following a diocesan investigation, the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops studied the audit's findings and accepted the resignation of Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst of Limburg as, it said in a statement, "there was a situation which prevented the fruitful exercise of his office". Auxiliary Bishop Manfred Grothe of Paderborn was appointed to serve as apostolic administrator of Limburg in the meantime, the Vatican announced yesterday.

Bishop Tebartz-van Elst will be assigned "at a suitable moment" to another unspecified assignment, the Vatican statement said.

Cardinal Reinhard Marx, president of the German Bishops' Conference, said the resignation would "end a period of uncertainty" in the Limburg Diocese. He told a Berlin news conference that he believed Bishop Tebartz-van Elst's case had been handled "fairly and transparently" by the Vatican and German Church.

"It was a major concern that all arguments should be placed on the table, and that everyone involved, including the Bishop, should play their part in an independent report as the basis for a balanced decision," said Cardinal Marx.

"Our Church is now well on its way to ensuring greater transparency and increasing its credibility again," he added.

Bishop Grothe told the news conference that the situation involving the Limburg bishop had "hurt many people." He said he would "carefully and prudently reappraise what happened" and ensure "the path to a new beginning" as administrator of the Limburg Diocese.