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Vatican probes bishop’s spending
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The Vatican launched a rare review of a German Catholic diocese yesterday following accusations its bishop spent lavishly on a new residence, putting him out of step with the new “church of the poor” promoted by Pope Francis.
The inquiry is officially called a “fraternal visit” to Limburg diocese by Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo, the former Vatican nuncio (ambassador) in Berlin. Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst said he was looking forward to it.
Limburg diocese, which includes Germany’s financial capital Frankfurt, has been in turmoil for months as reports of high cost overruns put pressure on Tebartz-van Elst, 53.
A growing number of critics had already accused him of staging pompous church services and communicating poorly.
The visit marks a new willingness by the Vatican to get involved quickly when a bishop’s management is under fire.
Mismanagement by bishops and the Vatican’s slow response were at the root of the sexual abuse scandals rocking the Roman Catholic Church over the past decade. There are no sexual abuse allegations in the Limburg controversy.
The diocese published a letter to Tebartz-van Elst from Marc Ouellet, the Vatican cardinal in charge of bishops, saying the controversy “strains the unity of the bishop and his people” and “threatens the integrity of your office and your person.”
Ouellet noted the bishop had requested an “apostolic visitation,” an inquiry often imposed by Rome after a scandal, but said the Vatican had full trust in his management and would instead send Lajolo on a less official “fraternal visit.”
Lajolo, a retired diplomat whose last job was governor of the Vatican city state, would consult the bishop, his advisers and “other relevant persons” to assess the situation “and if needed to admonish in a fraternal way,” the cardinal added.
The letter made no mention of any timeframe or final report, suggesting a quick and flexible Vatican intervention rather than the formal procedures of an apostolic visitation.
German media reports have said the new bishop’s residence was due to cost 5 million euros (US$6.6 million), but the bill may have tripled.
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