"Bishop of Bling" Resigns After Spending $43 Million on His House
On Monday, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of the so-called "Bishop of Bling," who spent an estimated $43 million renovating his private residence last year.
Last October, Pope Francis suspended the Bling Bishop, better known as Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, the bishop of Limburg, after learning of his extravagant home renovation, which included a $21,000 bathtub and a $1.1 million garden. The approved budget for the renovation was, at $7.5 million, just a fraction of its eventual cost.
Tebartz-van Elst initially defended the project's cost, noting that several of the buildings were under historical protection and therefore more expensive to renovate.
A Vatican inquiry into the renovation found that the subsequent controversy lead to "a situation in the Limburg diocese that prevents Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst from fruitfully carrying out his duties."
The Vatican said Tebartz-van Elst will be assigned another job in the church "at the opportune time."
[Image via AP]