Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst

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Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst (2012)

Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst (born November 20, 1959 in Twisteden , North Rhine-Westphalia ) is a German Roman Catholic bishop and qualified pastoral theologian and professor . From 1990 to 1996 he was cathedral vicar and from 2003 to 2007 auxiliary bishop in Münster .

From 2008 to 2014 he was bishop of the Limburg diocese . In autumn 2013, the rise in construction costs for the diocesan center St. Nicholas provoked nationwide criticism. On October 23, 2013, the Holy See released Tebartz-van Elst from his duties as Bishop of Limburg, and on March 26, 2014 Pope Francis accepted his offer of October 20, 2013 to resign.

Since December 2014 he has been Curia Bishop in Rome and Apostolic Delegate in the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization with responsibility for catechesis .

Life

Tebartz-van Elst was born as the second of five children to a farming family in Twisteden , today part of the pilgrimage town of Kevelaer on the Lower Rhine . His brother Ludger Tebartz van Elst is a professor of psychiatry . His sister Josi Winkels-Tebartz-van Elst runs the Irrland amusement park with her husband Johannes Winkels in Kevelaer-Twiststeden .

Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst attended the Catholic primary school in Kevelaer-Twisteden from 1966 to 1969, the Realgymnasium am Westwall in Geldern from 1969 to 1975 and the St.-Pius-Gymnasium Coesfeld from 1975 to 1978 , where he passed his Abitur. In September 1978 he entered the seminary of the diocese of Münster and studied philosophy and Catholic theology at the Westphalian Wilhelms University of Münster and the Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg from 1978 to 1983 . On January 8, 1984, he was ordained deacon and on May 26, 1985 in Münster Cathedral, he was ordained priest by the Münster diocesan bishop Reinhard Lettmann . Then he was chaplain in St. Johannes Baptist in Altenberge . From 1988 to 1990 he was released for further theological studies at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana and in France. From 1990 to 1996 he was cathedral vicar and cathedral chaplain at St. Paulus Cathedral.

In 1993 he was at Münster University with a thesis on Erwachsenenkatechumenat for Doctor of theology doctorate. In 1996 he received a teaching position from the University of Münster. In 1998 he received his habilitation there with the font Community in mobile society . From 2003 to 2004 he was professor for pastoral theology and liturgical studies at the University of Passau .

His publications were received in pastoral theology , such as his criticism of the one-sided focus on community theology after the Second Vatican Council , his investigation of the effects of increased mobility on community formation, and his advocacy of the adult catechumenate as a “model for the new evangelization” of a secularized society . His post-doctoral thesis was considered one of the few exceptions that the institution of the catechumenate dealt scientifically in the missionary tradition.

In 2005, the Cardinal Grand Master Carlo Furno appointed him Grand Officer in the Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem . On October 1st, 2005 it was invested by Anton Schlembach , the grand prior of the German Lieutenancy . He belongs to the Commandery Father Maximilian Kolbe in Frankfurt am Main.

Since 2007 he has been the honorary cathedral chapter of the diocese of Münster . He is also an honorary member of the K.St.V. Arminia Bonn (2010) and in the KDSt.V. Greiffenstein (Breslau) to Frankfurt am Main (2013).

bishop

Auxiliary Bishop in Munster

In 2003 Pope John Paul II appointed Tebartz-van Elst titular bishop of Girus Tarasii and auxiliary bishop in Münster. On January 18, 2004 he received the episcopal ordination from Diocesan Bishop Reinhard Lettmann . Co- consecrators were Werner Thissen , Archbishop of Hamburg, and Alfons Demming , Altweihbishop in Münster. They were his predecessors as regional bishops for the Borken / Steinfurt region. Tebartz-van Elst is still a member of the Münster cathedral chapter as an honorary cathedral chapter.

Bishop of Limburg

Tebartz-van Elst was elected by the Limburg cathedral chapter and on November 28, 2007 by Pope Benedict XVI. appointed new bishop of the Limburg diocese. When he took office, he was Germany's youngest diocesan bishop. His predecessor was Franz Kamphaus .

On January 10, 2008, Tebartz-van Elst was sworn in at the Hessian State Chancellery on the constitutions and governments of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate. Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Church Province of Cologne Joachim Cardinal Meisner enthroned him on January 20, 2008 in Limburg Cathedral .

In 2008 he became a member of the Pastoral Commission of the German Bishops' Conference and the World Church Commission of the DBK.

Motto and coat of arms

As bishop, Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst chose the motto: In Christo baptizati, Christum induistis - “All of you who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ as a garment” (Gal. 3:27).

In 2019, the composer Ludger Stühlmeyer set Tebartz-van Elst's episcopal motto to music as an antiphon for choir ( SATB ) a cappella and as a motet for choir (SATB) and organ. Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes wrote the preface to the settings .

Episcopate coat of arms Blazon of the shield
Auxiliary Bishop
in Munster
WBTebartz-van Elst-Wappen.svg
 In the auxiliary bishop's coat of arms, the silver-white lines symbolize the three rivers Rhine, Maas and Niers and the water of baptism. The three golden ears of corn symbolize the Eucharist and the lower golden triangle the stylized protective cloak of the miraculous image of the Madonna of Kevelaer and Mary as mother of the church. Lines and ears of wheat are also signs of the rural and Lower Rhine origin of the bishop. The red bar on a gold background in the upper triangle is the coat of arms of the Münster diocese. Behind the escutcheon is the bishop's cross, above it the green bishop's hat (Galero) with six green tassels (fiocchi), underneath the motto.
Bishop
of Limburg
Coat of arms of Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst.svg
 Quartered , the shield of the Limburg bishop's coat of arms shows the diocese coat of arms of Limburg in the first field: a red cross on a silver-white background and a gold sword on a red background that kills a blue-gold dragon (St. George). The second field contains the symbols of the protective mantle Madonna von Kevelaer, the third the golden ears of wheat and silver-white rivers, the fourth a red bar on a golden background, which represents the coat of arms of the diocese of Münster.

Viewpoints and controversies

Abuse in the Catholic Church

Right from the start of his term of office, Bishop Tebartz-van Elst campaigned for the processing of abuse by officials in the Diocese of Limburg. Cover-ups and transfers, as it was still common among his predecessors, came to an end for the first time under his leadership. He quickly implemented the abuse guidelines drawn up by the German bishops.

marriage and family

In August 2008, the Wetzlar priest Peter Kollas blessed a same-sex couple in Wetzlar Cathedral together with a Protestant pastor . Tebartz-van Elst then recalled Kollas from the office of district dean because he had violated the Roman Catholic doctrine, according to which homosexuality is "not in order". The wrong impression should not arise that the Catholic Church equates homosexual partnerships with marriage. According to the May 2010 declaration of the Holy See, there is no basis for an analogy between homosexual unions and the “God's plan for marriage and family”, so that all Catholics have to resist equality of both forms of life and seek “appropriate forms of pastoral care” for homosexual couples . Kollas remains a priest, but his recall as district dean should avert “further damage” to the diocese because of many complaints from Catholics. Kollas contradicted this justification: It was not about the sacrament of marriage, but about whether a priest could refuse two people a desired “word of God's love and mercy for their common life”.

On August 19, 2010, Tebartz-van Elst reaffirmed a 2006 ban on German Catholic bishops from working with the donum vitae pregnancy counseling association . His counseling certificates contributed to the fact that "the killing of unborn life is legally covered". This contradicts the "unconditional yes to life" of Catholic teaching. His predecessor, Bishop Franz Kamphaus, had refused Pope John Paul II's 1999 withdrawal from statutory pregnancy conflict counseling, but he accepted the implementation of the order in Limburg in 2002.

From 2011 to March 26, 2014 Tebartz-van Elst was Chairman of the Marriage and Family Commission of the DBK. He defended the Catholic understanding of marriage as a "bond between man and woman in mutual responsibility, which is open to the transmission of life". Therefore the special protection of marriage and family anchored in the Basic Law is justified. This preferential treatment does not mean unjustified disadvantage for other life plans.

Islam

Tebartz-van Elst took part in the nationwide debate about a statement made by then Federal President Christian Wulff on October 3, 2010, " Islam now also belongs to Germany". Wulff paid too little attention to the lasting importance of the “Christian image of man” for the rule of law , marriage and family, social commitment and the protection of life. The term “Christian Leitkultur ” describes a social reality in Germany. Islam, on the other hand, has not clarified its relationship to universal human rights and the rule of law. Forced marriages and violence against people of different faiths are still justified with statements in the Koran . Without clarifying these questions, equating Islam with Judaism and Christianity is out of the question. Only from its Christian roots can Europe lead a meaningful dialogue with Islam, which according to Pope Benedict XVI. is urgently needed.

Patrick Bahners then reproached Tebartz-van Elst, saying that the Catholic Church itself only affirmed universal human rights 45 years ago with the “adoption of the pastoral constitution ' Gaudium et Spes ' on the last day of the Second Vatican Council”. The retired Protestant church historian Gerhard Besier described Tebartz-van Elst's assertion that the rule of law in Germany was based on the “Christian image of man” as a misrepresentation of history . The Roman Catholic Church has often represented decrees against freedom of belief, speech, teaching and press, such as the anti-modernist oath , which was valid until 1967 , and only approached democracy because of external coercion. Criticism of Islam from this side is therefore a "community of values ​​rhetoric that overflows into culture warfare", with which church representatives stir up irrational fears of the "evil other" and seek to maintain their demographically less and less plausible special status and claim to represent society. In doing so, they also distracted themselves from real social contradictions between rich and poor and shifted an internal church crisis to alleged external causes.

Structural reform in the Diocese of Limburg

Tebartz-van Elst at the Kreuzfest in Geisenheim (2008)

In 2009, Tebartz-van Elst continued a structural reform in the diocese that had begun in 1999, during which several local parishes were merged into pastoral spaces . Full-time priests work together with pastoral officers and volunteers in the central management and administration of several parishes in order to compensate for a shortage of priests and to offset the increased maintenance and administrative costs of individual parishes. First the bishop visited all the parishes of his diocese as prescribed. In a lengthy process, new structures were proposed in various committees and ultimately decided by the bishop. At the time of assumption of office there were 84 pastoral rooms, these were to be converted into 45 "new type of parishes" by 2019 through amalgamation and restructuring. The first two new parishes were founded on January 1, 2012, and 14 new parishes were created by January 1, 2014 towards the end of the term of office. Most of the previous local churches remained as "branches" of a central parish church for local worship, baptisms and sacraments, but their administration was centralized in a parish office .

On March 25, 2012 around 30 priests around Frankfurt city dean Johannes zu Eltz and the spokesman for the priestly council Reinhold Kalteier (later the “ Hofheimer Kreis ”) wrote a letter to Tebartz-van Elst on the subject of “Dialogue in the Diocese of Limburg”. You have noticed "increasing fear of the bishop and diocese leadership" among church workers. Orthodoxy evidently takes precedence over pastoral care for modern people who are often distant from the Church but who are open to the Christian faith. The bishop is hindering the priesthood of all believers and voluntary commitment , which is emphasized by the Vatican, through opaque decision-making processes. The structural reform plunged many pastors in the diocese into a crisis. Pastors are increasingly becoming administrative officials and have little time left for direct pastoral care; at the same time, fewer pastoral and parish officers are used as reference persons or parish commissioners and feel that their competencies are not respected. This has created "growing resignation, signs of fatigue, increasing cases of illness and tendencies to withdraw". In the case of purely Eucharistic liturgies and sacramentals, there is a risk that the priest will only be experienced as a liturgy, hardly as a person, and thus no longer reach people with personal spirituality. The Limburg employees of Caritas would have the impression that they were treated with skepticism and suspicion instead of recognition. A clear signal from the bishop, his listening interest and his appreciation are necessary here. The bishop's spokesman contradicted these allegations and described the demands made in the letter as long since implemented.

In September 2012, Tebartz-van Elst opened the Bischof-Blum-Kolleg at the Limburg seminary to train lay and full-time workers in non-sacramental parish work in order to compensate for the shortage of priests on site. It is named after Peter Joseph Blum . The diocese of Limburg dissolved the college again in June 2015.

Personnel decisions

After taking office, Tebartz-van Elst swapped the heads of the press office and the diocesan court for people mediated by the Metropolitan of the Church Province of Cologne, Joachim Cardinal Meisner , and had honorary titles reintroduced for close employees. This caused protests among priests of the Limburg diocese. In June 2009 a letter circulated under the title “Outcry from pastors in the diocese”. This letter criticized “glossy kitsch”, “self-loving rituals”, “empty words”, “clerical conceit” and warned against a community of “followers and nodding” as a result of the bishop's course. For priests like Hubertus Janssen and Albert Drexelmann, Tebartz-van Elst pursued the “authoritarian style of a clerical church fixated on Rome”, which moved away from the Second Vatican Council and went back to the time of the culture war and anti-modernism around 1860. The letter was supported by eleven priests and the We Are Church initiative and also criticized the structural reform. According to the diocese, the bishop did not want to answer, as it was not a direct but an open letter.

On June 29, 2012, the diocese dismissed Patrick Dehm , the head of the Frankfurt "House of Encounters" (HdB), because he had allegedly accused the vicar general of wanting to sell the house and had allegedly threatened to make this public. Dehm's work was presumed to be an open, not primarily denominational activity as the actual reason for resignation. In the meantime, the diocese had offered Patrick Dehm other rooms for use, as the HdB was in poor structural condition. On August 14, Dehm received notice of termination without notice for alleged misuse of a sum of money intended for internal offers. The labor court in Frankfurt am Main rejected the first reason for termination as unfounded. Dehm declined an offer from the diocese to continue working as a consultant or religious teacher on half pay, and a severance offer. A possible conflict of interest became known during the process: The only witness to Dehm's statements such as “the diocese is already selling the table Siber” and “not his house, but the vicar general is the problem, but that will be solved biologically in time”, the real estate agent Martina Lucas-Klein was married to Theodor Michael Lucas, who together with Vicar General Franz Josef Kaspar supervised the finances of the Episcopal See Limburg. The initiative Church from below criticized the comparison offers to Dehm as an attempt to get rid of high-profile and nationwide respected employees with “labor law tricks” and “to force a trend reversal in the direction of Roman traditionalism, disregarding grown pastoral traditions and structures.” The labor court overturned Dehms without notice Dismissal as unlawful and awarded him a severance payment. He remained on leave until the deadline (March 31, 2013). His position remained vacant, although the diocese emphasized the importance of the facility for young adults. Dehm's companions in two letters asked Tebartz-van Elst to seek contact with him and to discontinue him.

In July 2013, a remark by the Frankfurt city dean Johannes zu Eltz became known: The bishop should lead the "poorest large parish in the diocese without episcopal privileges as one of us, as pastors" for seven years. After that, as a bishop, he would receive all the consent and all obedience he had ever wanted. Eltz explained in the Heute-Journal that the bishop could only counter the crisis of confidence in the diocese with the willingness to be accountable and "a very strong effort to regain trust". He canceled the voluntary resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. as “exemplary action in a crisis”. The Hofheimer Kreis suggested a commission to Tebartz-van Elst to restore trust in the diocese. Tebartz-van Elst rejected the statements of the city dean and "false statements of fact in the FAZ " and demanded that this "correction" be made known in the communities. Eltz took these statements as a sharp reprimand and demand for resignation and asked them to be forwarded to the communities in writing. Tebartz-van Elst stated that he had not asked for resignation, but only asked in general whether someone who publicly violated the loyalty of the bishop could continue to exercise the office entrusted to him. Thereupon Frankfurt Synodals expressed solidarity with Eltz. Priests openly criticized the bishop in their sermons. The Limburg Priestly Council demanded "an urgent comprehensive information and transparency offensive", the assumption of responsibility for errors and precise clarification of flight, construction and acquisition costs of his plans from him.

On August 25, 2013, the chairman of the “City Assembly of Frankfurt Catholics”, Christoph Hefter, read an open letter to Tebartz-van Elst after a high mass in Frankfurt Cathedral . The Hofheimer Kreis had rightly warned that the future of the diocese was “in great danger”. The leadership must "immediately take a different path" if they want to "credibly and credibly represent the Catholic Church". By the time it was handed over on September 6, 2013, 4,400 Limburg Catholics had signed the letter. The Federation of German Catholic Youth (BDKJ) in the Diocese of Limburg joined the demands in it with its own open letter.

On August 27, 2013, the cathedral chapter discussed the situation in the diocese. According to Barbara Wieland, member of the Presidium of the Limburg Diocesan Assembly, others also contributed to the crisis of confidence in the diocese, for example by passing on confidential information. Tebartz-van Elst is said to "assume a lot that is not true". The Forum of German Catholics called on him to support him against an “intensified campaign” that was actually directed against his “church-loyal theological attitude”.

On August 28, 2013, Tebartz-van Elst spoke to Cardinal Marc Ouellet , Prefect of the Congregation for the Bishops , in the Vatican , who assured him “the greatest support and solidarity in the current situation”. On August 30th he asked the Holy See for an apostolic visitation . On August 31, he admitted mistakes in a pastoral letter and solicited trust from his critics and believers. On September 3, the Bishops' Congregation rejected the apostolic visitation requested, but announced: Because of the unmistakable strain on the unity between bishop and people and the threat of damage to the bishop's integrity, Pope Francis would send Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo to Limburg.

Airfare and criminal proceedings

In January 2012 Tebartz-van Elst and Vicar General Kaspar traveled to Bangalore (India) to visit social projects . In April, the news magazine Der Spiegel asked the diocese whether the flights there were first class , how expensive they were and who was paying for them. The diocese replied on April 5 that the trip had been booked in business class as usual . Only this time, both travelers would have upgraded their flight tickets with privately collected bonus miles . On August 11, 2012, the bishop replied to the question from Spiegel journalist Peter Wensierski: “But you flew first class?”: “We flew business class.” On August 15, the lawyers of the diocese of Wensierski and the Spiegel asked for one Declaration of omission for the statement that the bishop flew first class by plane to India. Wensierski already knew from the diocese's letter of April 5 that this was untrue. In response to his further inquiry, however, the diocese confirmed on August 16 that the flights booked in business class had been upgraded to first class through private additional payment by Kaspar.

On August 22, 2012, Wensierski reported on his conversation with the bishop on August 11, his first-class return flight and the possibility of sleeping in business class. On September 1st, Tebartz-van Elst stated that he had only accepted an upgrade of the flight ticket this time so that he could sleep during the flight and then be able to keep his appointments well rested. He doesn't need any luxury and will "no longer do it like that". The diocese applied for an injunction against Spiegel , for which Tebartz-van Elst gave an oath in lieu of an affirmation on September 7, 2012 : In the dialogue on August 11, neither Wensierski's question nor his answer as cited were made. After the Spiegel published a film recording of the dialogue, the diocese withdrew the application for an injunction. On September 25, 2013, the Hamburg public prosecutor applied for a penalty warrant against Tebartz-van Elst for false affirmation on oath instead of in two cases. This conceded his false statement to the court, and had a money circulation pay of 20,000 euros. As a result, the proceedings were finally discontinued in December 2013.

Diocesan Center of Saint Nicholas

Diocesan Center St. Nicholas in Limburg

In 2004, the cathedral chapter initiated the "new construction of the bishop's house on the site of the old vicariate opposite the Limburg cathedral". The concrete construction planning according to the wishes of Tebartz-van Elst began in December 2007. During the vacancy until January 2008, the cathedral chapter could not make any legal decisions. After Tebartz-van Elst took office, the building project comprised the restoration and expansion of the old vicariate, the sexton's apartment and city wall, the construction of a bishop's apartment, a bishop's chapel, a sister's house, reception and meeting rooms, outdoor facilities and other buildings. By January 2008, the cathedral chapter had lowered the cost ceiling from seven to 1.65 million euros after protests. The cathedral chapter limited the total costs for this on February 7, 2008 to two million euros. 2.5 million euros came from church taxes and were placed in the budget of the Diocese of Limburg in 2004. The remaining part was carried by the “Episcopal See”, a foundation established in 1827 (legal form: corporation under public law ) for the maintenance of the Limburg bishops. Since 2008, the chair owed accountability only to the bishop and his vicar general, and no longer to the cathedral chapter.

In 2010, Tebartz-van Elst appointed Jochen Riebel ( CDU ), Theodor Michael Lucas (Josefs-Gesellschaft) and Carl-Friedrich Leuschner (auditor) to an "Asset Management Council of the Episcopal See", which internally controls assets, income and expenses to finance the construction project, but shouldn't publish. The council met for the first time in the spring of 2011. The diocese referred critics to him; the bishop cannot freely dispose of the property of the bishopric.

In August 2012, total costs of 5.5 million euros were estimated, including 200,000 euros for the bishop's apartment, 300,000 euros for his private chapel, 500,000 euros for the administration and guest areas, two million euros for the renovation of the historic walls and representation of the archaeological finds and 2.5 million euros for the renovation of the old vicariate and the sexton's house. In August 2012, the builders anticipated an increase in costs to over nine million euros, but did not name the final total due to possible further “surprises”. The diocese now called the building project "Diocesan Center Saint Nicholas", as it is not only used as a bishop's residence.

The construction was accompanied by growing public criticism. On June 28, 2013, the lead architect Tilman Staudt explained the increase in costs with the necessary manual renovation of the old buildings and the walls, the extent of which was only recognized during the construction work. The measures correspond to monument protection and were carried out in close coordination with the State Office for Monument Preservation Hesse (LfDH).

At the opening of the diocesan center on June 29, 2013, the diocese announced total costs of 9.85 million euros without explaining this increase in costs. After the asset management council requested that the information be corrected on the same day, the diocese declared on July 1 that the first-mentioned costs only included the renovation of the old buildings. The total costs could be “significantly higher”. In July, Tebartz-van Elst made a written commitment to the cathedral chapter that the financial conduct of his diocese during the construction of the bishop's house would be examined by a specially appointed commission of the German Bishops' Conference. In a pastoral letter dated August 31, 2013, he stated that “everything would be done” to “answer the cost question clearly”. He sees “some decisions today in a different light”.

Cardinal Lajolo, sent by the Vatican, visited the diocese from September 9th to 15th, 2013 and on September 14th issued a joint declaration with Tebartz-van Elst, cathedral chapter and cathedral dean: He would inform the Pope comprehensively of his various discussions in the diocese of Limburg . The bishop will have all construction costs ascertained immediately and make them available to the DBK examination commission he has requested. Their final report will be published. The bishop will regularly and reliably use the advisory bodies provided for by canon law to lead the diocese. The cathedral chapter will “accompany the bishop attentively and loyally”. Lajolo called for a new beginning in the diocese of Limburg at a closing service. Tebartz-van Elst asked for your forgiveness and forbearance "where I have disappointed and hurt you". His self-commitment was interpreted as confirmation of corresponding failures. On September 23, 2013, the then DBK chairman Robert Zollitsch declared that the whole church in Germany was suffering from the reports of the explosion of costs for the episcopal building in Limburg.

On October 7, 2013, the asset management board announced that an "internal cost accounting" had determined total costs of the building complex of at least EUR 31 million. In addition, there would be construction costs in the millions, about which the city of Limburg had an appraisal drawn up. Council member Jochen Riebel stated on October 8, 2013 that Tebartz-van Elst had wanted to forbid the disclosure of these total costs and, despite several reminders, had not submitted any budget plans for 2012 and 2013 or corresponding individual plans to the council and thus "led it behind the light". Contrary to the statutes of the Episcopal See, the individual building projects have not been approved in any budget, apart from a funding of 600,000 to 800,000 euros. Tebartz-van Elst is "either a sophisticated fraud or sick". If the bishop were a "man of honor", he would have to resign. On October 11, 2013, Riebel added that the asset management board had provisionally approved almost EUR 16 million as "bridging finance" and consequently had a rough knowledge of the cost increases. The Limburg city administration expected high follow-up costs due to the damage to neighboring buildings caused by the construction work. A further increase in total costs to up to EUR 40 million was therefore expected.

The council of priests, the “Hofheimer Kreis”, the “We are Church” initiative and other Limburg Catholics called on Tebartz-van Elst to resign. The diocese administration declared that the bishop was responsible for the spiritual direction, but not for the administration of the construction financing. On October 8, 2013, the Presidium of the Limburg Diocesan Assembly and the Board of Directors of the Diocesan Synodal Council held against the bishop a “frightening approach to the truth” and “deliberate falsification” in relation to his statements on the episcopal building. The bishop stands "tremendously in the way" of the church's mission to preach. Ask the Pope for a helpful decision. The canon lawyer from Münster, Thomas Schüller , called on the Pope to remove the bishop from office on October 9th . The asset management board should also resign, since it had withheld budget plans for years and thus failed to fulfill its control function.

Tebartz-van Elst justified part of the construction costs on October 10, 2013 in the Bild newspaper with monument protection requirements. The LfDH denied this on October 8th. The consulting architect Stephan Dreier called this justification a “brazen lie”. Only the half-timbered construction of the Old Vicariate had been renovated after the preservation of monuments; that cost a maximum of 400,000 euros. Far more expensive were the expansion of the attic, which was carried out against his recommendation, the lowering of the ground floor and work below the foundation walls.

Riebel named structural changes and additional requests by the bishop as the causes of the increase in costs, such as carpentry work for the bishop's apartment (350,000 euros), a free-standing bathtub (15,000 euros), works of art (450,000 euros), chapel windows (100,000 euros), a retrofitted cable pull for an Advent wreath (50,000 euros) and a table in the conference room (25,000 euros). Changes and extras would have added up to three million euros for the bishop's apartment. In addition, a second apartment, also 130 m² in size, was milled into the rock underneath. The city approved these first as windowless technical and cellar rooms, later partly as living space, now with windows. Nobody decided and approved the construction result. The new buildings would have cost a total of 20 million euros, which corresponds to 10,000 euros per square meter. According to internal documents on construction planning and the costs of individual construction measures published on October 12, 2013, Tebartz-van Elst had completed construction sections demolished and structurally modified. This caused "exorbitant" cost increases. The entire construction project is said to have cost the Episcopal See almost a third of its assets.

According to media reports, the newly founded asset management board was presented with a total cost volume of 17 million euros in summer 2011. The sum was broken down into ten individual projects of less than five million euros each, so that none of them had to be reported to the Vatican. A year later, the asset management board approved a bridge loan of 15.7 million euros. The loan had been taken out at Deutsche Bank ; this led to a conflict between the bishop and the asset management council for the first time. Tebartz-van Elst demanded, contrary to the recommendation of the council, that the costs should not be made public. The bookkeeping had been outsourced to the auditing company KPMG in Cologne, so that only cathedral builders and architects could see invoices and receipts. According to "Spiegel" in 2009, KPMG received the order for the commercial handling of the project and at that time sent a rough cost estimate of 17 million euros to the bishop and vicar general Kaspar. By 2011 she had informed the bishop of her more precise calculation of 27 million euros. On October 2, 2013, the architect Staudt told Jochen Riebel that he (Staudt) had always lied to the asset management board about the costs on the instructions of the bishop. The architect Michael Frielinghaus declared on October 14th: The construction sum of 5.5 million euros mentioned by the Bishop's Chair in 2010 was well below the sum known to all planners involved in the project. The bishop knew the actual costs from the start; their approximate height has never been out of question. “So there was no cost explosion. The construction went according to plan, there were hardly any surprises. "

According to the statute of the Episcopal See in Limburg , which the Bishop decided on April 1, 2011 and which the FAZ published on October 14, 2011, the Bishop should have submitted a budget to the Asset Management Council for each financial year. According to Riebel, this did not happen in 2012 and 2013. The council should have recognized an annual balance sheet and a profit and loss account and should have relieved the management. This did not happen in 2011 and 2012. Furthermore, the council had to approve the purchase and sale of real estate by the Episcopal See. It was unclear whether the diocesan center was also financed with such transactions and whether the council was properly involved in them. The journalist Daniel Deckers suspected that the bishop and vicar general had claimed a considerable part of the previous construction costs without the prior approval of the council, i.e. illegally, and therefore falsely claimed that they could not spend any assets of the chair without the consent of the council. According to the statute, the Council should have insisted on the submission of budgets and refused the discharge required. Otherwise he could have turned to the Apostolic See in Rome or the Congregation for the Clergy as a supervisory authority. Each council member could resign from his office at any time. In 2011 the Episcopal See sold apartments to the diocese for 6.8 million euros. According to press reports, the amount was far below their value. Therefore the public prosecutor's office in Limburg a. d. Lahn also against Vicar General Kaspar. This was seen as the driving force behind the construction project.

According to the minutes of the meetings published by Kathnet on October 17, 2013, on July 1, 2011, the asset management board “determined” construction costs for 2011 of 17 million euros. On August 28, 2013, an “open dissent” was recorded as to the amount of the “interim financing” for the construction that the council had approved at previous meetings. An agreement was reached on 29.5 million euros and this sum plus two more million subsequently unanimously decided. According to Kaspar, Jean-Claude Périsset , then Apostolic Nuncio in Germany, had been informed about the ten individual projects in Limburg before construction began and had "expressly agreed" to the division then as well as during a later visit on site. The protocol was signed by Kaspar and Tebartz-van Elst, but not by the three council members.

The nuncio was not responsible for the Vatican approval of the building project. This should have been done in writing. The diocese did not publish them in response to press inquiries either. According to those involved, the construction project was never divided into individual projects for accounting purposes. Canon lawyers judge the denomination in ten construction projects as a circumvention . The retrospective approval of the Asset Management Council did not cancel the legal violations of the statute of the Episcopal See. Due to a lack of budget, most of the funds used for the construction were not legally spent.

In 2013, the word Protz-Bischof as a name for Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst came in second on the list drawn up by the Society for the German Language for the word of the year in Germany .

Examination and papal decision

On October 17, 2013, Robert Zollitsch informed the Pope about the situation in the Limburg diocese. The examination commission set up by the German Bishops' Conference (DBK) began its work on October 18th under the direction of Manfred Grothe . Further members were Lorenz Wolf , Michael Himmelsbach (finance department manager in the Archdiocese of Freiburg ), Michael Duus (construction specialist from the project management office of the WSP Group in Düsseldorf) and Josef Gronemann (auditor from Cologne).

On October 21, the Pope received Tebartz-van Elst for a private audience. According to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica , he is said to have apologized to the Pope for personal mistakes and regretted "communication glitches" such as the late announcement of the construction costs . On October 23, the Vatican declared that Tebartz-van Elst was currently unable to exercise his episcopate. Until the results of the DBK examination commission are available, the Holy See grants him a time outside the diocese. The Vicar General Wolfgang Rösch , appointed by Tebartz-van Elst on January 1, 2014, will take up his post with immediate effect. From October 30, 2013, Tebartz-van Elst stayed at Metten Monastery .

As a result of the Limburg case, German media have been addressing the fortunes of the German dioceses since October 2013. Some dioceses published their financial situation or announced this step. A considerable increase in the number of people leaving the church in Germany is referred to as the "Tebartz effect" because many justified their leaving with the scandal surrounding the bishop. In December 2013, Vicar General Rösch had all financial and construction matters of the Episcopal See returned to the diocese administration. The Diocese of Limburg wants "to make the assets, but also the obligations completely transparent".

On March 3, 2014, Zollitsch presented the examination committee's report to the Vatican. On March 26, 2014, the Vatican announced: Because of the situation in Limburg, which prevented Tebartz-van Elst from exercising the office of bishop fruitfully, the Holy See had accepted the resignation offered by him on October 20, 2013. He will be entrusted with a new office in due course. Manfred Grothe was appointed Apostolic Administrator for the Diocese of Limburg.

The DBK published the final report of the examination commission on the same day and summarized the results: In six meetings the commission found some violations of applicable property law. Tebartz-van Elst often failed to “submit legal transactions at least for a hearing” to the asset management board. Even the Council had not adequately fulfilled its obligations. The total costs of around 31.5 million euros were mainly due to the wishes and orders of the bishop. He did not care about the details of the financing and deliberately avoided questions about it. At any point in time, he and two other initiates would have been aware of the cost increases. At his request, incorrect figures were published by June 28, 2013; He also did not inform Cardinal Lajolo correctly. He knew of the total costs by September 13, 2013 at the latest.

Tebartz-van Elst explained: He only found out the total amount one day after his conversation with Cardinal Lajolo (September 20, 2013). Vicar General Kaspar was responsible for the lack of respect for the asset management council's right of appeal. He hired Kaspar because of a disorderly administration he found and on the advice of Franz Kamphaus. Kaspar had taken on the earlier tasks of the finance department, including building management, the role of the episcopal economist and the investment business, chose a different architectural design and personal acquaintances as an art outfitter, and ordered additional furniture without the bishop's knowledge. The duty of discretion also existed before 2008. With the indiscretions at the time, a “path of intransparency” had been taken. The total costs are not additional costs. He reported the details known to him to the Congregation for Bishops. He is not a finance or construction specialist and therefore has only limited responsibility, but he paid attention to quality and sustainability from the start. In the German media, this was understood as blaming others.

On March 28, 2014, Pope Francis had a 15-minute conversation with Tebartz-van Elst. He then said: In his administration in Limburg the impression was created that he had primarily pursued his own goals and interests and enforced them without voting. He has now realized that he has made mistakes and thus destroyed trust, albeit never on purpose. For this he asked all concerned for forgiveness. He sees the papal decision as a chance for a new beginning for the Limburg diocese and for himself. He asked not to use his opinion on the test report as the start of a new dispute. Cardinal Karl Lehmann regretted that Tebartz-van Elst did not name specific mistakes that he regretted, neither before nor after the papal decision. A “devastating media response” is therefore not surprising. "Particularly repulsive" in his statement on the test report is the burden on the former Vicar General Franz Kaspar.

Processing after resigning from office

The Public Prosecutor Limburg a. d. Since October 2013, Lahn has been investigating investigations into suspected infidelity against Tebartz-van Elst because of several reports . Based on the DBK test report in March 2014, she considered initiating a formal investigation into breach of trust against Tebartz-van Elst and other members of the diocese. However, she stopped the investigation in July 2014 because there were only violations of church law for which the church was solely responsible. The legal scholar Frauke Rostalski (University of Marburg) described this decision in a research paper (published July 2015) as a “serious failure” or even as a “perversion of the law”, as it violates essential principles of the rule of law and contradicts the previous case law of the Federal Court of Justice. The criminal offense of infidelity could not be treated as an "internal church matter" in corporations under public law on the basis of Art. 140 GG. Constitutional lawyers like Udo Di Fabio agreed. A reopening of the proceedings was legally examined.

In May 2014, the appointed diocese leader Manfred Grothe and his deputy Wolfgang Rösch announced that Tebartz-van Elst was receiving a retirement salary of 71% of his last salary according to grade B8 . They criticized the fact that he continued to live in the Limburg bishopric and did not rule out a trial before the Roman Rota papal court because of the damage in the diocese of Limburg. Grothe turned to the Apostolic See several times on this matter without a specific decision on a claim and its possible amount. On September 9, 2015, the diocese administration announced that the Congregation for Bishops in Rome, in agreement with the State Secretariat of the Vatican, did not consider the examination of compensation payments by the bishop emeritus and the opening of a corresponding canonical procedure to be appropriate.

Delegate to the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization

Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst 2017 in Cologne Cathedral

On December 5, 2014, Pope Francis appointed Tebartz-van Elst as a delegate to the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization with responsibility for catechesis . Since then, Tebartz-van Elst has been a member of the leadership team of the Pontifical Council as Curia Bishop.

Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst was particularly committed to the canonization of Maria Katharina Kasper on October 14, 2018. He applied for it in February 2012. The canonization took place in the context of the Synod of Bishops on the subject of "Young people, faith and vocational discernment" in St. Peter's Square in front of St. Peter's Basilica of the Vatican in Rome. On the occasion of the canonization, Tebartz-van Elst met for the first time since his resignation with a large group of Catholics from the Limburg diocese in Rome and celebrated a thanksgiving service with them and his successor, Bishop Georg Bätzing .

In June 2020 Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, in his capacity as a delegate to the Pontifical Council for New Evangelization, together with the Archbishops of the Curia Rino Fisichella and José Octavio Ruiz Arenas , presented a new “Directory for Catechesis” in Rome, a manual for the Teaching Faith in the Digital Age.

Publications

author

  • The adult catechumenate in the United States of America: A suggestion for pastoral care in the sacraments in Germany (=  Münster theological treatises . Volume 28 ). Oros, Altenberge 1993, ISBN 3-89375-086-X ( dissertation , University of Münster, 1993).
  • Congregation in a mobile society: contexts - criteria - concretions (=  studies on theology and practice of pastoral care . Volume 38 ). Echter, Würzburg 1999, ISBN 3-429-02148-0 ( habilitation thesis , University of Münster, 1998/99).
  • Churches will change: mobility as a pastoral challenge . With a contribution by Dieter Emeis. Echter, Würzburg 2001, ISBN 3-429-02388-2 .
  • Handbook of Adult Baptism: Liturgy and Annunciation in the Catechumenate . Aschendorff, Münster 2002, ISBN 3-402-05384-5 .
  • Faith takes shape: encouragement for a missionary spirituality . Butzon & Bercker, Kevelaer 2006, ISBN 3-7666-0808-8 .
  • with Stefan Böntert: Founding churches spiritually . Dialogverlag, Münster 2007, ISBN 978-3-937961-51-4 .
  • Whoever believes sees more! Perspectives and priorities . Butzon & Bercker, Kevelaer 2009, ISBN 978-3-7666-0960-1 .
  • Contents need witnesses (=  positions and perspectives . Volume 1 ). Verlag des Bischöflichen Ordinariats, Limburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-921221-68-6 (also contains: Mission needs courage for content ).
  • Priest - prophetic existence and personal testimony (=  positions and perspectives . Volume 2 ). Verlag des Bischöflichen Ordinariats, Limburg 2010, ISBN 978-3-921221-77-8 .
  • Preserving values ​​- shaping society: a plea for politics with a Christian profile . Butzon & Bercker, Kevelaer 2012, ISBN 978-3-7666-1390-5 .
  • Marriage and family as a contrasting way of life in a post-Christian society . Altius, Erkelenz 2012, ISBN 978-3-932483-44-8 .
  • The sound makes the music: catechesis as the voice of the Church . Butzon & Bercker, Kevelaer 2019, ISBN 978-3-7666-2532-8 .

editor

  • Open the fountain of baptism for us: The celebrations of incorporation into the Church (=  Celebrations with the Bible . Volume 1 ). Verlag Katholisches Bibelwerk, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-460-08001-9 .
  • The longing for light ignites in us: baptism remembrance in the proclamation of the church year (=  celebration with the Bible . Volume 2 ). Verlag Katholisches Bibelwerk, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-460-08002-7 .
  • Catechesis in Transition: Positions and Perspectives. For Dieter Emeis . Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1998, ISBN 3-451-26160-X .
  • Unity in willing - unity in action (=  positions and perspectives . No. 3 ). Verlag des Bischöflichen Ordinariats, Limburg 2011, ISBN 978-3-921221-83-9 .

Contributions in books

  • Catechesis as the formative force of the Church. 30 years of Catechesi tradenda . In: George Augustin (ed.) Living the Church of Jesus Christ . Series Theologie im Dialog Volume 4. Herder Freiburg 2010, ISBN 978-3-451-30314-2 , pp. 108–128.
  • “There are many dwellings in my father's house ...” (Jn 14: 2). Neighborhood as the narthex of a pastoral ecumenism . In: Stefan Kopp, Joachim Werz (Eds.) Built Ecumenism. Message and mission for the 21st century? Series Theologie im Dialog Volume 24. Herder Freiburg 2018, ISBN 978-3-451-38188-1 , pp. 180-200.

literature

Web links

Commons : Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Press release regarding the Diocese of Limburg (Germany) , Holy See Press Office, March 26, 2014
  2. ↑ Tebartz-van Elst “does not suffer from autism”. In: Spiegel Online . October 20, 2013, accessed August 5, 2016 .
  3. ↑ Decision in the Vatican: Pope withdraws Tebartz-van Elst from Limburg Report on the Internet platform Spiegel-Online on October 23, 2013, accessed on August 25, 2019
  4. ↑ Domradio , 30 May 2010: Diocese celebrates silver jubilee as a priest from Bishop Tebartz-van Elst: Grateful in Limburg
  5. ↑ Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst in the Munzinger Archive , accessed on October 13, 2013 ( beginning of article freely available)
  6. ↑ a b Daniel Deckers : Giving shape to faith. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , June 23, 2013.
  7. ^ Informationsdienst Wissenschaft , October 15, 2004: Farewell lecture by Professor Dr. Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst ; Passauer Neue Presse, October 14, 2013: Tebartz-van Elst scandal: ex-university colleague shaken
  8. ↑ Example: Elke Langhammer: "Is God in it ?!": Experiences of the presence of God in the pastoral everyday life of parish chaplains. Lit Verlag, 2011, p. 70
  9. ↑ Ruth von Giesen: Economy of the Church? On the relationship between theological and business rationality from a practical-theological perspective. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2009, p. 47, fn. 95.
  10. ^ Johann Pock : Communities between idealization and planning compulsion. Lit Verlag, 2006, ISBN 3-8258-8974-2 , p. 42f.
  11. ^ Peter Krämer : Right to Mission versus Religious Freedom? Christian Europe to the test. LIT Verlag Münster, 2007, p. 154, fn. 78 .
  12. ^ Rudolf Englert : Religious pedagogical basic questions: impulses for the formation of judgments. W. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2008, p. 312, fn. 28 .
  13. ^ Diocese of Münster, December 25, 2007: Lettmann says goodbye to Tebartz-van Elst.
  14. ^ Cathedral chapter in Münster
  15. ↑ Vatican Radio, November 28, 2007: The new Bishop of Limburg - the Vita.
  16. ↑ An episcopal affair. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , March 26, 2014.
  17. ↑ Diocese of Münster (January 11, 2008): Bishop Tebartz-van Elst sworn in
  18. ↑ In: Baptized in Christ. Living and proclaiming faith in the 21st century , Butzon & Bercker , Kevelaer 2019, ISBN 978-3-7666-2488-8 , pp. 19-21. World premiere: Vatican November 2019.
  19. ↑ Published by Ries & Erler ( Edition Sonat ), Berlin 2019, ISMN 979-0-50254-145-3. World premiere: Capella Mariana November 2019.
  20. ↑ Regina Einig: An explosive device - investigation of the diocese of Limburg on cases of abuse . In: Die Tagespost , June 18, 2020, p. 8.
  21. ↑ Thomas Jansen: It was probably too late for a discreet reprimand from the bishop In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , August 22, 2008.
  22. ^ The Vatican Declaration on Gay Marriage. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , May 11, 2010.
  23. ^ Bishop of Limburg recalled Dean. In: Spiegel Online , August 20, 2008.
  24. ↑ Gießener Allgemeine, August 29, 2008: Kollas sticks to his posture ( Memento from April 9, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
  25. ↑ Church site, July 27, 2006: Declaration on Donum Vitae: Episcopal clarification
  26. ↑ Echo, August 20, 2010: Sharp attack against "Donum Vitae" Pregnancy counseling: Bishop of Limburg makes association responsible for abortions ( Memento from April 10, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
  27. ^ Declaration by Bishop Franz Kamphaus on the decision of Pope John Paul II regarding pregnancy conflict counseling in the Diocese of Limburg ( Memento from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  28. ↑ The Commission for Marriage and Family of the German Bishops' Conference led Tebartz-van Elst on its website in January 2014 ( Memento from January 31, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) (web archive) as chair, in April 2014 ( Memento from April 15, 2014 in Internet Archive ) (web archive) no longer.
  29. ↑ See Article 6
  30. ^ Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst (Diocese of Limburg, August 13, 2012): Constitutional protection of marriage and family ( Memento of August 13, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  31. ↑ Focus , October 11, 2010: Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst: "There is a Christian dominant culture, Mr. Federal President"
  32. ↑ Patrick Bahners: Do we have a Christian dominant culture? In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , October 19, 2010.
  33. ^ Gerhard Besier: "Dictatorship of Relativism"? For the individualization of world views and religious convictions. In: Gerhard Besier (Ed.): 20 years of the new Federal Republic: Continuities and discontinuities. Lit Verlag, 2011, ISBN 3-643-11423-0 , pp. 239-252, here: pp. 240 f.
  34. ^ Johann Pock: Communities between idealization and planning compulsion. Lit Verlag, 2006, ISBN 3-8258-8974-2 , p. 345.
  35. ↑ Guide to the new type of parishes in the Diocese of Limburg ( Memento of May 2, 2014 in the Internet Archive ), p. 2, ( PDF ).
  36. ^ Diocese of Limburg: New pastoral space on January 1, 2012
  37. ↑ Stefan Toepfer: “Fear and Resignation in the Diocese”. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . September 17, 2012, accessed April 2, 2014 .
  38. ^ Dialogue in the Diocese of Limburg. A contribution by priests of the diocese with suggestions for topics and designs for ecclesiastical coexistence ( PDF ; 47 kB).
  39. ↑ Hessische Rundschau, September 18, 2012: Priest uprising against the bishop ( Memento from May 5, 2010 in the web archive archive.today )
  40. ↑ Diocese of Limburg, September 12, 2012: The Bischof-Blum-Kolleg is open ( Memento of October 22, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  41. ↑ Frankfurter Allgemeine: Diocese of Limburg dissolves college of ex-bishop Tebartz-van Elst
  42. ^ Anna Catherin Loll, Peter Wensierski : Limburg culture of suffering. In: Der Spiegel , 46/2010.
  43. ↑ Thomas Witzel: Critique of Limburg Bishop Tebartz-van Elst. A bishopric in turmoil. ( Memento from August 25, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) In: Frankfurter Rundschau , November 24, 2010.
  44. ↑ Peter Hanack, Ursula Rüssmann: Dispute in the house of meeting. In: Frankfurter Rundschau , September 12, 2012.
  45. ↑ Labor court: diocese versus executive. ( Memento from December 1, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) In: Frankfurter Neue Presse , September 12, 2012.
  46. ↑ Johannes zu Eltz, in: Der Fall Tebartz-van Elst , Herder, Freiburg 2014, pp. 200–2001.
  47. ↑ Peter Hanack: Good relationships. In: Frankfurter Rundschau , September 12, 2012.
  48. ^ Initiative Church from Below, October 15, 2012: IKvu on the comparison between Patrick Dehm and the Diocese of Limburg: A political process with an exemplary character
  49. ^ Letter from priests and staff members of the Limburg diocese to Bishop Tebartz-van Elst. In: Initiative Church from Below , September 20, 2012 ( PDF , 108 kB).
  50. ↑ Volker Zastrow : Cave canem. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , August 4, 2013.
  51. ↑ ZDF heute journal, July 26, 2013: ( Page no longer available , search in web archives: The Luxury Bishop of Limburg )@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.zdf.de
  52. ^ A b Stefan Toepfer: The crisis of confidence in the Limburg diocese is coming to a head. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , August 22, 2013.
  53. ↑ Mittelhessen.de, August 21, 2013: Bishop messes with Dean
  54. ↑ Peter Wensierski : "If you go too late, life punishes you" In: Spiegel Online , August 26, 2013.
  55. ↑ Sankt Bonifatius: 08/25/2013: Open letter from the City Assembly of Frankfurt Catholics to Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst ( Memento from April 26, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  56. ↑ Diocese of Limburg: bistumlimburg.de: Bishop accepts an open letter from the Frankfurt City Council ( Memento from December 1, 2017 in the Internet Archive )
  57. ^ Rhein-Zeitung, August 29, 2013: Crisis of confidence in the diocese: Catholic youth are also revolting
  58. ^ Domradio, August 29, 2013: Tebartz-van Elst in Rome - Discussions in the Diocese of Limburg: Something is happening on the Lahn
  59. ↑ Kathnet, August 28, 2013: Tebartz-van Elst in Rome - Discussions on the situation in the Diocese of Limburg
  60. ↑ Diocese of Limburg, August 31, 2013: Let's approach each other! Bishop Tebartz-van Elst writes to the faithful in the diocese ( Memento from December 1, 2017 in the Internet Archive )
  61. ^ Diocese of Limburg: Letter from the Congregation of Bishops dated September 3, 2013 ( PDF ).
  62. ^ A b Peter Wensierski : The upgrade miracle of Limburg. In: Spiegel Online , August 22, 2012.
  63. ↑ Joachim Heidersdorf: Bishop regrets first class flight. ( Memento from December 1, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) In: Frankfurter Neue Presse , September 12, 2012.
  64. ↑ The Bishop and the 8th Commandment. In: Der Spiegel , January 24, 2013.
  65. ↑ Hamburg Public Prosecutor's Office , October 10, 2013: Press release: Hamburg Public Prosecutor's Office requests the issuance of a penalty order against the Bishop of Limburg ( Memento of October 12, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) ( PDF ; 80 kB).
  66. ↑ WDR 1, November 18, 2013: Tebartz-van Elst admits allegations ( Memento from December 30, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  67. ↑ Limburg prosecutors continue to investigate allegations against Tebartz-van Elst. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , January 2, 2014.
  68. ↑ Criminal proceedings against Tebartz suspended - 20,000 euros in circulation. In: Spiegel Online. November 18, 2013, accessed December 9, 2016 .
  69. ↑ Daniel Deckers: The generous builder of Limburg In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , August 26, 2013.
  70. ↑ Jorg Hamm: The end of modesty. In: Wiesbadener Kurier via wir-sind-kirche.de , December 29, 2007.
  71. ↑ Johannes Laubach: Is the diocese canceling its million plans? In: Frankfurter Neue Presse via wir-sind-kirche.de , September 12, 2012.
  72. ↑ Expensive plaster. In: Spiegel Online , October 14, 2013.
  73. ↑ a b Daniel Deckers : In Limburg fear is around. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , October 17, 2013.
  74. ^ A b Volker Zastrow : Lies, Buildings. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , October 13, 2013.
  75. ↑ a b Daniel Deckers : Help your servant, O my God. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , October 8, 2013.
  76. ↑ Joachim Heidersdorf: The bishop shows his house. ( Memento from December 1, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) In: Frankfurter Neue Presse , August 18, 2012.
  77. ↑ Diocese of Limburg, June 28, 2013: "A point of identification in Limburg": work on the diocesan center St. Nikolaus largely finished ( Memento from December 1, 2017 in the Internet Archive )
  78. ^ Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst (Diocese of Limburg, August 31, 2013): Letter to all believers ( PDF ; 84 kB).
  79. ↑ Diocese of Limburg, September 14, 2013: Joint declaration on the conclusion of Cardinal Lajolo's visit ( PDF ; 43 kB).
  80. ^ Diocese of Limburg, September 15, 2013: A new path in love and understanding. Giovanni Cardinal Lajolo calls for reconciliation at the Feast of the Cross ( Memento from December 1, 2017 in the Internet Archive )
  81. ^ Stefan Toepfer: Bishop in duty. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , September 15, 2013.
  82. ^ Zollitsch reprimands Limburg bishop for cost explosion. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , September 23, 2013.
  83. ↑ Peter Wensierski : "31 million! Incredible, I'm sick" In: Spiegel Online , October 8, 2013.
  84. ^ "The bishop is either a cunning deceiver or sick" In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , October 8, 2013.
  85. ↑ Public prosecutor's office examines suspicion of infidelity against bishop. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , October 11, 2013.
  86. ↑ Karsten Kammholz, Tim Röhn: Limburg bishopric is again significantly more expensive. In: Die Welt , October 2, 2013.
  87. ^ RP, October 9, 2013: Demands for resignation against Bishop Tebartz
  88. ^ Bishop defends high construction costs. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , October 10, 2013.
  89. ↑ Pope should remove bishop from office. In: Frankfurter Rundschau , October 9, 2013.
  90. ↑ Ralf Schuler: “Nobody should break the rule over me” In: Bild , October 10, 2013.
  91. ↑ Stefan Toepfer (FAZ / Rhein-Main Zeitung, October 9, 2013, p. 33): Limburg bishop asked to resign - pressure on Tebartz-van Elst is growing
  92. ^ Johannes Laubach: Monument protection as an excuse. ( Memento from December 1, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) In: Frankfurter Neue Presse , October 11, 2013.
  93. ↑ Joachim Heidersdorf: In office - without dignity. ( Memento from December 1, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) In: Frankfurter Neue Presse , October 11, 2013.
  94. ^ The too expensive luxury in the Limburg bishopric. In: Die Welt , October 11, 2013.
  95. ^ The Tebartz-van Elst file. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , October 12, 2013.
  96. ↑ Tebartz-van Elst is said to have deliberately concealed costs. In: Spiegel Online , October 13, 2013.
  97. ↑ spiegel.de October 12, 2013: Magnificent building in Limburg: Bishop had known high costs for years
  98. ^ Matthias Drobinski , Gerhard Matzig , Klaus Ott : Architect burdens Bishop Tebartz-van Elst. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , October 13, 2013.
  99. ↑ a b Daniel Deckers: Duties disregarded. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , October 14, 2013.
  100. ↑ a b Andrea Bachstein, Matthias Drobinski : Limburger Clique. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , October 18, 2013.
  101. ↑ Katholisch.de, October 16, 2013: But not going it alone?
  102. ↑ GfdS selects “GroKo” as Word of the Year 2013. Society for German Language, December 13, 2013, accessed on January 16, 2018 .
  103. ↑ DBK: Press release October 24, 2013 - No. 181: Auxiliary Bishop Manfred Grothe heads the Limburg examination committee
  104. ↑ Jörg Bremer : Tebartz-van Elst thanks Pope for private audience. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , October 21, 2013.
  105. ↑ Lucas Wiegelmann: Tebartz-van Elst apologizes to the Pope. In: Die Welt , October 25, 2013
  106. ↑ Press release of the Holy See regarding the Diocese of Limburg (Germany) , October 23, 2013
  107. ↑ Bishopric Limburg, October 31, 2013: Bishop spends spiritual days in Metten - Benedictine Abbey is happy about the visit from Limburg ( Memento from December 1, 2017 in the Internet Archive )
  108. ↑ Dioceses reveal assets. In: Die Zeit , October 15, 2013.
  109. ^ Church resignations increased dramatically. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , November 7, 2013.
  110. ↑ Arne Storn: “We have nothing to hide” In: Die Zeit , December 27, 2013 (interview with Gordon Sobbeck).
  111. ^ Rhein-Zeitung, December 26, 2013: After the episcopal affair: Diocese of Limburg wants to disclose finances
  112. ↑ DBK, March 3, 2014: Diocese of Limburg: test report completed and handed over to the Bishops Congregation in the Vatican
  113. ↑ Press Office of the Holy See, March 26, 2014: Press release regarding the Diocese of Limburg (Germany)
  114. ↑ DBK, March 26, 2014: Final report on the external ecclesiastical examination of the building project on Domberg in Limburg
  115. ↑ DBK, March 26, 2014: Introductory explanations to the final report on the external church audit of the construction work on Domberg in Limburg ( PDF ).
  116. ↑ Domradio, March 2014: Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst: Statement on the report of the examination commission of the German Bishops' Conference ( PDF ).
  117. ↑ Tebartz-van Elst blames the vicar general. In: Spiegel Online , March 27, 2014.
  118. ↑ "I ask everyone for forgiveness" In: Spiegel Online , March 28, 2014.
  119. ↑ Domradio, April 1, 2014: Cardinal Lehmann to Tebartz-van Elst: "There is nothing to gloss over"
  120. ↑ Public prosecutor examines the Limburg report. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , March 27, 2014.
  121. ^ Infidelity investigations against Tebartz-van Elst stopped. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , July 2, 2014.
  122. ↑ Thomas Darnstädt : Heaven and Earth. In: Der Spiegel , 30/2015.
  123. ↑ "Everything is far from being in consensus" In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , May 28, 2014.
  124. ↑ The diocese is in talks ( memento from December 1, 2017 in the Internet Archive ), bistumlimburg.de from July 23, 2015
  125. ^ Tebartz-van Elst receives post in the Vatican In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , February 7, 2015.
  126. ^ Bishop Tebartz-Van Elst officially in the Vatican , Vatican Radio , April 16, 2015
  127. ↑ SWR Aktuell: Who was Katharina Kasper? In: swr.online . ( swr.de [accessed on October 13, 2018]).
  128. ^ Anke Petermann: Tebartz 'later success. In: deutschlandfunk.de , October 11, 2018, accessed on October 18, 2018.
  129. ↑ New saints for the Catholic Church. In: SZ-Online.de May 19, 2018. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  130. ↑ Tebartz-van Elst presents a new catechesis manual on vaticannews.va from June 25, 2020. Accessed on June 28, 2020.
  131. ↑ Roma apuesta por la sinodalidad en su nuevo Directorio de Catequesis, que llega tras doce borradores on religiondigital.org of June 25, 2020. Accessed June 28, 2020. (Spanish)
predecessor Office successor
Franz Kamphaus Bishop of Limburg
2008-2014 		Georg Bätzing
personal data
SURNAME Tebartz-van Elst, Franz-Peter
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German Roman Catholic clergyman and pastoral theologian
DATE OF BIRTH November 20, 1959
PLACE OF BIRTH Twisteden , North Rhine-Westphalia , Germany (today: Kevelaer , North Rhine-Westphalia , Germany )