Paul KeenanGermany – The Vatican has announced that the Vicar General of the German Diocese of Limburg will administer the troubled diocese following the removal of Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, whose €31 million spend on his house caused uproar in the country.
According to the Vatican press office, Pope Francis authorised "a period of leave outside the diocese" following a meeting with the bishop in Rome last week, a meeting preceded by a private meeting between the Pontiff and Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, president of the German bishopsí conference at which Limburg was discussed. The Vatican states that Bishop Tebartz-van Elst will remain outside the diocese until the results of an audit into the diocesan accounts is complete.