Bishop of bling

Oscar Wilde once said, “anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination.” Wilde was probably being his usual facetious self when he came up with this idea, but it would seem German Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst took those words to heart. Now known as the “Bishop of Bling” the 53-year-old prelate of Limburg had, until recently, lacked nothing… least of all imagination. Pardon the pun, this man of the cloth put the shop back in the title Bishop, spending $20,000 on a bathtub, $35,000 for a conference table, $475,000 on walk-in closets, $1.1 million for landscaped gardens, and $4 million for a private chapel. But all this pales in comparison to the cost of his house, la Maison de Bling, which set back the German Catholic Church in the amount of $43 million. In turn, this personally set him back to the Benedictine Abbey in Metten where he has retreated for a “spiritual period of recuperation” following his indefinite suspension by Pope Francis who is undertaking his own â€œtuwid na daan” reform program within the Catholic Church.

Of course, it’s an age-old truism that the easiest money to spend is money you didn’t earn. In Germany, Christian taxpayers are required to pay 8%-10% of their income to support the “church’s operations.” This is known as a Kirchensteuer. In 2012, this translated to 5.2 billion euros for Catholics and 4.6 billion euros for Protestants. Failure to pay the tax means your inability to receive sacraments, work in a church or church-related entity (including hospitals) or serve as a godparent. Furthermore, the church is not required to publicly disclose its finances. In the past, the Vatican has turned a blind-eye on the questionable expenditures and indulgences. Pope John Paul II did not take any public action against Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre, N.Y., after he had built a luxurious residential suite that displaced six nuns. But then again, under German-born Benedict XVI, several bishops involved in financial scandals were removed from their positions and currently, under the stewardship of Pope Francis, the Francis of Assissi slant is clear: “serve, not be served; give, not be given.”

Indeed, the sale of “indulgences” as well as an atmosphere of abuse and excess was what prompted Martin Luther to launch the Reformation in Germany roughly five centuries ago. As Professor Markus Thurau observed, “the misuse of the wealth of the German Catholic Church is not a new problem, as the vow of poverty is an integral part of the faith... but it is only now, under Pope Francis, that this tenet is being pushed.”

The extent of the Bishop of Bling’s expenses has led some commentators — like Fr. Peter Daly — to wonder what is the current mindset of our clergy. “Why did he think that in a world where children go to bed hungry and homeless people sleep in cars or on heating grates… he could spend $20,000 on a bathtub?” exclaimed Fr. Daly. He answered his own question concluding that Tebartz-van Elst had foregotten the core values of his vocation when he made those choices. How did he feel when he visited the poor children in India earlier last year (riding First Class, of course although he claims he received an upgrade by using his frequent flyer miles)? After all, isn’t it harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven than it is for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle? Conversely, the good book also teaches us that the “meek shall inherit the Earth.”

Ordained in 1985, Bishop Tebartz-van Elst became Germany’s youngest bishop when he was installed by former Pope Benedict in January of 2008. Born in the north-west German village of Twisteden in 1959, he studied in France and at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. According to theologian David Berger, when he was named auxiliary bishop of Munster in ’03 by John Paul II he was considered a “professor of liberal ideas.” However, this changed under Pope Benedict. He now is considered to belong to a conservative wing of the German episcopate, emphasizing traditional Catholic values and liturgical forms.

In a video sermon recently released by the Church, Tebartz-van Elst begged his followers for “indulgence”… (but isn’t that what got him into this mess in the first place?) He claims his actions have been “misconstrued.” He argued that the reported spending covered no less than 10 projects, some of which involved buildings governed by landmark preservation laws which led to higher costs and that his private quarters were only a small part of the work. Then again, it’s hard to explain a $20,000 bathtub.

Now, while the Vatican is looking into his financial indiscretions, he is also being investigated by Hamburg prosecutors on the allegation that he gave false testimony in his case. As Groucho Marx once said, “money can’t buy happiness, but it certainly lets you choose your own form of misery.”

Perhaps this incident will serve as an auspicious wake up call to our own clergy.  Many of us have heard stories of Priests driving luxurious vehicles, eating in fine dining restaurants or receiving generous stipends from dubious sources (read PDAF). While probably not extravagant enough to surface on the Vatican’s radar, nevertheless it may be prudent of them to exercise greater restraint in the future. For under the papacy of Francis, it seems that simplicity has become the rule rather than the exception. 

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Congratulations: Best wishes to high school classmate and my eye doctor, Fernandino “Dino” Fontanilla, on his appointment as the new dean of the San Beda College of Medicine. After obtaining his medical degree from the UP College of Medicine, he pursued and finished a masters degree in business administration (MBA) from the Ateneo Graduate School of Business.  He will be bringing the skills and competencies learned from his maroon and blue alma mater universities to the red Benedictine lair.  Fellow high school classmate Tony Abad wisely yet correctly remarked that his nickname from now on should be spelled “Deano.” 

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“Live simply so others may simply live.” –Mother Teresa

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