Pope Francis met briefly
Friday with German Bishop Franz Peter Tebartz-van Elst from the
Limburg diocese, whose resignation was accepted earlier in the
week as a result of a spending scandal.
The pope met for about 10 minutes with Tebartz-van Elst,
who is to be assigned to a new post as a result of an
investigation into his spending.
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 last October, when
he tendered his resignation.
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.
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