Bishop Of Bling Forced To Resign

On Monday, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of the so-called "Bishop of Bling," who spent an estimated $43 million renovating his private residence last year.

Last October, Pope Francis suspended Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, the bishop of Limburg and also known as the "Bling Bishop",  after the Pope learned of his extravagant home renovation, including a $21,000 bathtub and a $1.1 million garden. The approved budget for the renovation was, at $7.5 million, just a fraction of its eventual cost.

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Tebartz-van Elst noted that several of the buildings were under historical protection and therefore were more expensive to renovate.

The Vatican said Tebartz-van Elst will be reassigned to another job in the church "at the opportune time."