ROME, Vatican City, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- A German Catholic bishop has been called to the Vatican to discuss allegations he spent $42 million to renovate his personal residence.
Franz-Peter Tebartz van Elst, the bishop of Limburg, Germany, was summoned to the Vatican Sunday and was to meet with Archbishop of Freiburg Robert Zollitsch, the head of the German Bishops Conference, about the renovations and allegations van Elst lied when confronted about them, ANSA news agency reported.
Zollitsch has already written a letter to Pope Francis about the controversy. It was unclear whether van Elst, whom the BBC dubbed the "luxury bishop," would meet with Pope Francis during his trip to the Vatican. The issue would seem to be of particular concern for Francis, who has put a high emphasis on church leaders living humble lives of service -- and not spending millions to do things like renovate a bishop's personal residence.
