Holy See accepts resignation of 'gold-plated' Limburg bishop

Gazetta del Sud
March 26, 2014

http://www.gazzettadelsud.it/news/english/85094/Holy-See-accepts-resignation-of--gold-plated--Limburg-bishop.html

Vatican City, March 26 - The Holy See on Wednesday announced it had accepted the resignation of German Bishop Franz Peter Tebartz-van Elst from the Limburg diocese. Dubbed the 'gold-plated bishop' for allegedly spending 31 million euros to remodel his residence next to the cathedral, Tebartz-van Elst was suspended by the Vatican in October, when he tendered his resignation. The Vatican said he is to be assigned a new post. According to some reports, the so-called 'bishop of bling' outfitted his residence with a $20,000 bathtub, $500,000 built-in closets and a $35,000 conference table. Tebartz-van Elst is also in hot water concerning a lawsuit against German newsmagazine Der Spiegel over an earlier article about his spending and has also been accused of lying in a separate matter. Last September, a prosecutor in Frankfurt, which falls within the diocese of Limburg, requested the bishop's indictment for making false statements over an airline claim. The allegations of overspending have clashed dramatically with Pope Francis's simple and frugal lifestyle. The pope continues to live at Saint Martha's House, the Vatican guesthouse with priests from around the world, eating a communal breakfast. He has said he would feel "lonely" in the lavish papal apartments used by his predecessors. http://popefrancisnewsapp.com/