Pope Francis continues to surprise us. According to this article:
The Vatican on Wednesday suspended a scandal-tainted German Catholic cleric dubbed the "bling bishop" for his luxury lifestyle, despite multiple calls for the prelate to be dismissed.
"The Holy See deems it appropriate to authorise a period of leave from the diocese for Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst," the Vatican said in a statement.
Why? Because the bishop spent
31 million euros (about 42 million USD) on his residence.
More beyond the orange swirls.
Some are calling for more, of course. They believe he should be dismissed. Perhaps that will happen later after additional investigations.
The bishop flew to Rome last week with low-cost airline Ryanair to explain himself to Francis -- following accusations he took a business-class ticket on a trip to India and squandered money.
His private quarters in a new diocesan building are reported to have cost some 2.9 million euros ($3.9 million) and included a 63-square-metre (630 square feet) dining room and a 15,000 euro bathtub -- using the revenue from a religious tax in Germany....
The project was approved by his predecessor and was initially valued at 5.5 million euros but the final bill ballooned to 31 million euros, including a 783,000-euro garden.
I am not a Catholic or even a Christian but I used to find much to admire in the teachings attributed to Jesus. But in the last few decades it seems that the focus has been on oppressing others and becoming as rich as possible.
Pope Francis has made several key gestures of a more humble style since coming to office in March and has condemned big-spending clerics.
The pontiff has refused to move into the lavish papal palace in the Vatican, staying instead in the Casa Santa Marta, a residence for visitors.
He has repeatedly called for the Catholic Church and its faithful to rid themselves of earthly concerns like his name-sake, St Francis of Assisi, warning that "worldliness is a murderer because it kills souls, kills people, kills the Church."
Emphasis mine. I love how Pope Francis condemns worldliness.
I think it must be difficult for people to switch their priorities, from just having more
money and more bling, to other things. I think priorities need to be decided by individuals (but that's a subject for another diary).
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Tired of politics? Need to escape? Try one of my Greek-mythology based novels, either the story of Jocasta: The Mother-Wife of Oedipus or a trilogy about Niobe, or one of the first examples of civil disobedience, Antigone and Creon. Or, if you like mysteries and/or Jane Austen, treat yourself to The Highbury Murders: A Mystery Set in the Village of Jane Austen’s Emma very positively reviewed at the Daily Kos Monday Murder Mystery blog.