German bishop in trouble over luxurious residence-CathNews NZ/Pacific

German bishop in trouble over luxurious residence

Tuesday, October 15th, 2013

A German Catholic bishop under fire for huge cost overruns on a luxurious residence and alleged lying under oath has flown to Rome to meet Vatican officials and possibly Pope Francis to decide if he can stay in office.

Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst of Limburg has caused a crisis in the German church for building a luxurious residence and office complex at a time when the Pope is stressing humility and service to the poor.

An initial audit revealed the project cost at least $NZ50 million, six times more than planned.

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Tags: Bishop Tebartz-van Elst, German bishop, Limburg

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