Vatican suspends German 'bishop of bling' over lavish lifestyle

The Vatican has reportedly suspended a senior German church leader, Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst for his alleged lavish spending. The ‘bishop of bling’, 53, has an official residence in Limburg that is described as luxurious, on which; he is accused of spending more than 42 million dollars for renovation.

The Vatican said that it deemed ‘appropriate a period of leave from the diocese’ for the bishop, the BBC reports. The Vatican statement stated that a situation has been created in which the bishop can no longer exercise his episcopal duties.

According to the report, when Bishop Tebartz-van Elst flew into Rome last week it was apparently on a Ryanair flight. The head of Germany's main lay Catholic group, the Central Committee of German Catholics, Alois Glueck, said that Pope Francis’s decision offers the chance of a first step toward a new beginning in the Limburg diocese, because the situation has become an increasing burden for the faithful there, and in all of Germany, over recent weeks.

The Bishop’s residence was fitted with a bath that cost 15,000 euros, a conference table for 25,000 euros and a private chapel that cost 2.9million euros. The ousted bishop’s diocese will be administered by Limburg's vicar general, Wolfgang Roesch, the report added.