Limburg inquiry under way

The auditing commission appointed by the president of the German bishops’ conference, Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, to clarify the decisions and processes behind the ­renovation of the bishop’s palace complex at Limburg, has begun work.

The palace is at the centre of a scandal surrounding the lifestyle of the Limburg bishop, Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, who reportedly spent €31 million (£26m) on renovating it. The Pope has given the bishop permission to be absent from the diocese.

Archbishop Zollitsch has chosen Bishop Manfred Grothe, 74, an auxiliary in Paderborn, to head the board of examiners. The board includes the director of finances in the Archdiocese of Freiburg and the head of the ecclesiastical court in the Archdiocese of Munich. Bishop Grothe has previous ­experience in the auditing field. In 2009 the Congregation for Clergy appointed him ­visitator of the international charity Aid to the Church in Need.

On taking up work in Limburg, Bishop Grothe said the auditing commission’s task was “anything but easy”. It was not only concerned with the cost dimension but would have to trace the decision-making processes and responsibilities. “I cannot as yet see a time frame,” he commented. “The Vatican said it was comprehensively and objectively informed [on the situation in Limburg] and would like that to continue. Our investigations will be a contribution towards this end,” he underlined.

Meanwhile, the new vicar general, Wolfgang Rösch, has taken over as diocesan administrator in Limburg. “The bishop’s time out is also a time out for the diocese. It will be my job to see to it that the administration goes on functioning,” he told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. He was under obligation to the Congregation for Bishops and to the Holy See but not to the Bishop of Limburg whom the Pope has asked to take time out from his office as bishop. “I am not a confidant of the bishop,” Fr Rösch said.