Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst
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[edit] Visiting the Poor - First class
In January 2012, Bishop Tebartz visited India together with his vicar-general. They had booked Business Class, but flew First Class both ways due to an upgrade using the bonus miles of the faithful (and obviously well-traveled) vicar. When the German magazine "DER SPIEGEL" asked about his travels, Tebartz's lawyers denied this at first (Es dürfe unter anderem nicht mehr in der Öffentlichkeit verbreitet werden: "Herr Bischof Dr. Tebartz-van Elst ist erste Klasse mit dem Flugzeug nach Indien geflogen." - among other thing, it isn't allowed to claim that "the bishop Dr. Tebartz-van Elst flew First Class in an airplane to India" ), but backed down a day later.[2]
[edit] Denying the Denial
While the flight may be seen as just ill-advised, the aftermath put Bishop Tebartz in hot water. In an affidavit he wrote, that he hadn't denied in an interview with journalists of "DER SPIEGEL" to have used First Class. Unfortunately for him, the interview was taped, and he had indeed stated explicitly that he had used Business Class. [3] Stating a wrong affidavit is a crime in Germany and can result in up to three years in prison though fines are more common, Tebartz-van Els was fined 20,000 euros. [4]
[edit] New Residency
In 2007 - before Tebartz became bishop - the diocese of Limburg decided to build a new episcopal residency, later dubbed "Diozösanes Zentrum St. Nikolaus". The estimated costs were 5,500,000€, but it was clear at least in 2012 that this wasn't enough money:
| "Für das gesamte Bauprojekt wurden 5,5 Millionen Euro eingeplant. Die gedeckelte Summe von 2,5 Millionen Euro aus Kirchensteuermitteln stammt aus einer dafür angelegten Rücklage des Bistumshaushaltes aus dem Jahr 2004. Drei Millionen Euro bringt der Bischöfliche Stuhl als eigene Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts (seit Gründung des Bistums) ein. Der Bischöfliche Stuhl steht ähnlich einer Stiftung unter einem Aufsichtsgremium. "Durch Unwägbarkeiten bei den Arbeiten an der historischen Bausubstanz, insbesondere bei der fachgerechten Sanierung der mittelalterlichen Mauern und der Alten Vikarie aus dem Jahr 1492, wird sich der angestrebte Kostenrahmen wohl nicht einhalten lassen.", erklärt Tilmann Staudt. Seriöse Angaben zum Gesamtkostenrahmen würden dementsprechend erst nach Abschluss aller Arbeiten möglich sein. Für die Gesamtfinanzierung gelte aber nach wie vor, dass dadurch keine Projekte in den Pfarreien und Einrichtungen des Bistums bzw. Personalstellen in der Diözese finanziell benachteiligt werden. " | "5,5 million euros were planned to cover the whole project. A fixed sum of 2,5 million euros is taken from means risen by church tax which were declared as a reserve fund for this cause in the diocese's budget of 2004. 3 million euros will be provided by the Episcopal See, a public corporation since the founding of the diocese [in 1824]. The Episcopal See is put under a supervisory board - similar to a public trust. "Because of imponderabilities while working with historic structures, especially regarding the expert restoration of the medieval walls and the old vicarage from 1492, the planned budged is not going to be observed. ", declared Tilmann Staudt. Thus reliable information on the budget as a whole will be gathered only after all works have been finished. But nevertheless, no project in local parishes or at institutions of the diocese or human resources in the diocese will suffer financially." |
When the residency was opened in June 2013, the diocese stated that the costs have been 9,85 million euros, but a few days later it had to explain that these costs covered only the renovation of the old buildings, not the new edifices (e.g., a private chapel for the bishop). In Oct 2013 it became clear that the overall cost would exceed 31 million euros.
[edit] References
- ↑ German 'bishop of bling' resigns over spending scandal
- ↑ Katholische Kirche: Das Upgrade-Wunder von Limburg Limburg's miracle of the upgrade - in German
- ↑ Bischof von Limburg: Ein Drama in fünf Akten The Bishop of Limburg: A Play in Five Acts - German
- ↑ German 'Luxury Bishop' Tebartz-van Elst pays fine for lying under oath
- ↑ press release of the Diocese of Limburg, 19. Aug 2012,, "Work at the Diocese's center St. Niclas still in progress" - in German