Deutsche Welle, 15 October 2013
While
‘luxury bishop’ Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst awaits his fate in the Vatican,
five German Catholic dioceses have made their finances public. Tebartz-van Elst
continues to face calls for his resignation.
German
Archbishop Robert Zollitsch (pictured above) is also in Rome and will brief
Pope Francis on the situation in the Limburg diocese, where scandal has hit
after estimates put the eventual cost of construction for the bishop's new
residential complex at 31 million euros ($41.8 million). A week of front-page
headlines in Germany prompted the decision for the Bishop of Limburg to accompany Zollitsch on his long-scheduled visit to the Vatican.
Bishop
Tebartz-van Elst's private quarters in a compley builty next to the city's
historic cathedral are believed to have cost 2.9 million euros alone,
reportedly including a free-standing bathtub worth 15,000 euros.
The Bishop
of Limburg's troubles are two-fold; he also faces a fine from a Hamburg court
for allegedly providing false testimony in a case he filed against Der Spiegel
magazine, which reported he had flown first class to India to visit poor
children.
The budget
overrun in Limburg has prompted the dioceses of Cologne, Munich, Essen, Hamburg
and Speyer to make their finances public. The former revealed assets as of
December 2012 of 166.2 million euros, posting an income of 9.6 million euros in
the same year.
The
archdiocese of Munich posted total assets of 27.6 million euros, while the
diocese of Speyer had a worth of around 46.5 million.
The issue
is fast becoming more than just an inquiry into the actions of Tebartz-van
Elst. The perceived extravagance flies in the face of Pope Francis' call for a
“poor church for the poor,” and there is keen interest in how the Vatican will
act.
Speaking on
Tuesday, the Christian Democrats' special representative for church and
religious affairs, Maria Flachsbarth, called the news from the diocese of
Limburg "disturbing."
Flaschbarth also said that should the
allegations against Tebartz-van Elst prove true, this should perhaps prompt
structural changes in the Church, not just personnel changes.
ph/msh (dpa, AFP)
Related Articles:
The opaque financing of Germany's churches
Catholic Bishop of Limburg faces penalties
Locals in Limburg lose faith in 'luxury bishop'
Pope Francis rates a 7 from Dutch Catholics
Prosecutors
want Tebartz-van Elst to be fined for allegedly
lying in a Hamburg court
|
Related Articles:
The opaque financing of Germany's churches
Catholic Bishop of Limburg faces penalties
Locals in Limburg lose faith in 'luxury bishop'
Pope Francis rates a 7 from Dutch Catholics
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