Curia job for the ‘bishop of bling’

The former Bishop of Limburg, Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, has been working in the Roman Curia since December, the Vatican confirmed on Saturday, writes Christa Pongratz-Lippitt.

The bishop, who resigned after details of his lavish spending caused a scandal in Germany, prompting thousands to renounce membership of the Church, has been appointed to the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangeli­sation.

The confirmation of his appointment as “Delegate for Catechesis” was signed by Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and the papal nuncio in Germany, Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, on 5 December.

Tebartz-van Elst stepped down in 2013 after five years in the diocese of Limburg. German bishops carried out an investigation into his spending following detailed revelations about a €31 million (£26m) renovation of the bishop’s palace in Limburg – including the installation of a €15,000 bathtub – became public, earning him the nickname the “bishop of bling”.