With Pope Francis’ emphasis on simplicity and the Bishop of Limburg (aka the Bishop of Bling) scandal still ringing in parishioners’ ears, the living arrangements of German church leaders are under scrutiny like never before.The soon-to-be installed Archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Rainer Woelki, has reduced the size of his flat from 2,700 square feet to 1,700. The residence in Cologne was built after the Second World War, and the bathroom was in urgent need of repair. This has led to questions about the cardinal’s bathtub, given that in Limburg €15,000 (more than £12,000) were spent on a luxurious, free-standing designer model.“It’s a strictly standard tub and moreover very small. Although the cardinal himself is very tall, he wanted a small tub,&r
11 September 2014, The Tablet
Tale of a tub
Get Instant Access
Continue Reading
Register for free to read this article in full
Subscribe for unlimited access
From just £30 quarterly
Complete access to all Tablet website content including all premium content.
The full weekly edition in print and digital including our 179 years archive.
PDF version to view on iPad, iPhone or computer.
Already a subscriber? Login