Diocese to claim £2.8m in damages from ‘bishop of bling’

The diocese of Limburg, whose former Bishop, Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, resigned in 2013 after having spent more than £22 million on redecorating his official residence, plans to file a £2.8m claim for damages in a Vatican court against him.

The Limburg diocese is now being administered by Manfred Grothe, formerly auxiliary Bishop of Paderborn, who was installed as Apostolic Administrator of Limburg by Pope Francis after Tebartz-van Elst’s resignation.

“Administrator Manfred Grothe, who was installed by the Pope, has brought up our demands for financial compensation several times in the Vatican. It is now for the Pope to decide”, diocese spokesman Stephan Schnelle  told the Bild-Zeitung on 25 July.

As transitional administrator, Grothe was obliged to protect the diocese against damage and to recover debts, otherwise he himself would become liable, Mr Schnelle explained.

At a recent meeting of the Limburg diocesan synodal council and the former priests’ council, many of the participants had urged Grothe to speed up the financial investigations procedure.

Tebartz-van Elst – who became known as the bishop of bling –  has a new job in the Vatican with the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples. His  monthly income is £7,290, £5,165 of which are a pension the Limburg diocese has to pay him. A church trial will have to establish if he alone can be held responsible for the sum claimed.

n A German bishop has criticised a recent reform of his Church’s employment rules, which ensure the country’s 700,000 ecclesiastical staffers will no longer be sacked for remarrying or forming gay unions, writes Jonathan Luxmoore. “This labour law reform contains formulations which are too vague,” said Bishop Stefan Oster of Passau. “Our procedures will be checked less often and accurately, especially where it’s difficult to find manpower.”