Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst (born 20 November 1959) is a German prelate of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
and theologian. He was a vicar and an auxiliary bishop in
Münster
Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...
before becoming the
Bishop of Limburg in January 2008.
Pope Francis
Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...
removed him from the exercise of his episcopal office on 23 October 2013 and on 26 March 2014 accepted his resignation as Bishop of Limburg, following a long-standing public dispute about the costs and financing of a diocesan construction project.
Life and ministry
Tebartz-van Elst is the second of five children born on 20 November 1959 to a farming family in Twisteden, near the Catholic pilgrimage village of
Kevelaer
Kevelaer (; Low Rhenish: ''Käwela'') is a town in the district of Kleve, in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is the largest Catholic pilgrimage location within north-western Europe. Over one million Marian devotees, mostly from Germany and ...
in
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...
.
The name "Van Elst" suggests that one of his ancestors came from the
Dutch city of
Elst, Gelderland
Elst is a town in the municipality of Overbetuwe in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is situated in the Betuwe, between the cities of Arnhem and Nijmegen. In January 2022 the town had 22,509 inhabitants.
Elst is known for its Roman templ ...
.
He studied philosophy and
Catholic theology
Catholic theology is the understanding of Catholic doctrine or teachings, and results from the studies of theologians. It is based on canonical scripture, and sacred tradition, as interpreted authoritatively by the magisterium of the Catholi ...
at the
Wilhelms University of Münster and the
Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg. He completed further theological studies at the
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...
in Indiana. From 1990 to 1996 he was vicar and chaplain at
St. Paul's Cathedral in Münster, before receiving a teaching appointment at the University of Münster. His work in pastoral theology focused on the baptism and catechism for adults, and his manual for adult baptism reflects his focus on the Catholic evangelism of adults in an increasingly secular Germany.
In 2003,
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005.
In his you ...
named him
titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.
By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...
of
Girus Tarasii and
auxiliary
Auxiliary may refer to:
In language
* Auxiliary language (disambiguation)
* Auxiliary verb
In military and law enforcement
* Auxiliary police
* Auxiliaries, civilians or quasi-military personnel who provide support of some kind to a military se ...
for the Diocese of Münster.
[ On 28 November 2007, ]Pope Benedict XVI
Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...
appointed him Bishop of Limburg.[ In Limburg, he replaced ]Franz Kamphaus
Franz Kamphaus (2 February 1932 – 28 October 2024) was a German Catholic prelate, bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Limburg. He was bishop of the diocese from 1982 after teaching pastoral theology and homiletics at the University of Münster. ...
, whose liberal views had brought him into conflict with Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005.
In his you ...
. In 1999, Kamphaus had refused to follow a Vatican instruction that Catholic organisations cease cooperation with medical clinics that issue referrals for abortions. He even refused when faced with a direct ultimatum from the Pope in March 2002, and the Vatican then stripped him of authority over counseling centres for pregnant women. Tebartz-van Elst, named a few years later to replace Kamphaus, who had been popular with his clergy, was seen as a representative of Roman discipline and authority.
Early controversies
In 2008, Tebartz-van Elst admonished one of his priests, the Rev. Peter Kollas, for joining a Lutheran pastor in blessing a homosexual couple. The bishop argued that the relationship did not conform to Catholic teachings; Kollas argued that offering a blessing contradicted no norms of Catholic practice. Citing broken trust, the bishop removed Kollas from an administrative appointment within the diocese, while leaving him as parish priest of his local church in Wetzlar
Wetzlar () is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany. It is the twelfth largest city in Hesse with currently 55,371 inhabitants at the beginning of 2019 (including second homes). As an important cultural, industrial and commercial center, the un ...
.
In 2012 ''Der Spiegel
(, , stylized in all caps) is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of about 724,000 copies in 2022, it is one of the largest such publications in Europe. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...
'' reported that Tebartz-van Elst and a travel companion flew to India in first class earlier that year, contradicting the Catholic Church's position on personal austerity
In economic policy, austerity is a set of Political economy, political-economic policies that aim to reduce government budget deficits through Government spending, spending cuts, tax increases, or a combination of both. There are three prim ...
. Tebartz-van Elst sued the magazine and swore in affidavits submitted to the court that he had travelled in business class using accumulated bonus miles. The state's attorney determined that he had actually flown in first class and cited him for perjury, for which he was fined €20,000.
Diocesan Centre St. Nicholas
In 2002, the Diocese of Limburg committed to financial austerity, cutting salaries and expenses. In that context, the diocese's 2007 announcement of plans for a €6 million building renovation project was criticised by some of the laity. The diocese announced it was allocating €5.5 million, with €200,000 for the bishop's apartment, €300,000 for his private chapel, €500,000 for the administrative and guest area, €2 million for the renovation of the historic walls and display of archaeological finds and €2.5 million for the rehabilitation of the old clergy house. Years later, on 14 October 2013, as the controversy continued, the project's architect Michael Frielinghaus said that the 2010 figure of €5.5 million was always understood to be well below the true cost of the project. When the building complex opened on 29 June 2013, the diocese announced that the final costs would be €9,850,000. It revised that number the next day after an internal audit committee complained that the number was totally unrealistic.
In September 2013, a Vatican inspector, Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo
Giovanni Lajolo (born 3 January 1935) is an Italian cardinal and former president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and president of the Governorate of Vatican City State.
Early life and ordination
Giovanni Lajolo was born on 3 ...
, visited Limburg to hold discussions with diocesan officials. A Vatican audit of the construction project determined that the costs of the project had grown to €31 million. Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, chair of the German Bishops' Conference warned that the Limburg scandal was affecting the Catholic Church throughout Germany and said he would discuss that impact with Pope Francis
Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...
. He also set up a commission to investigate the finances of the Limburg diocese. A spokesman for the Limburg diocese said Tebartz-van Elst was "concerned about the escalation of the current discussion" and that "It is obvious to the bishop that the decision on his episcopal ministry in Limburg lies in the hands of the Holy Father."
Suspension and resignation
On 21 October 2013, Tebartz-van Elst met in Rome with Pope Francis, just after Cardinal Joachim Meisner
Joachim Meisner (25 December 1933 – 5 July 2017) was a German Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Cologne from 1989 to 2014. He previously served as Bishop of Berlin from 1980 to 1989, and was created a cardinal in 1983. He was wid ...
, Archbishop of Cologne, met with the Pope. On 23 October 2013, Pope Francis suspended Tebartz-van Elst from the exercise of his episcopal office as Bishop of Limburg because he thought Tebartz van Elst could no longer exercise his duties as bishop. His statement noted the recent visit of the Vatican monitor and the investigation of the diocese's finances by the German Bishops. The pope named Wolfgang Rösch as vicar general
A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vica ...
, with the appointment to take effect immediately.
In January and February 2014, details of the German Bishops commission's investigation became known, including material sufficient to require an investigation by the public prosecutor, including evidence of the misuse of funds. The commission finalised its report on 4 March 2014.
On 26 March 2014, Pope Francis accepted Tebartz-van Elst's resignation as Bishop of Limburg. The Vatican statement said that a fruitful execution of a bishop's duty could no longer be expected from Tebartz-van Elst.
On 28 March 2014, Tebartz-van Elst met again with Pope Francis for a quarter-hour. Afterwards he told reporters that "with today's knowledge I realize I have made mistakes. Though I never intended to, I have destroyed trust."
Tebartz-van Elst defended himself and remained unapologetic. He said the vicar general was responsible for the deteriorating situation and that when he arrived he found the diocese had "an administrative situation which was ... hardly factual and disordered". He said he wanted to invest in high-quality construction in light of earlier problems with construction projects in the diocese.
After obtaining the report from the German Bishops commission, the state attorney in Limburg was examining whether Tebartz van-Elst's actions constituted a criminal offence.
Later career
Following his resignation, Tebartz-van Elst moved to Regensburg
Regensburg (historically known in English as Ratisbon) is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the rivers Danube, Naab and Regen (river), Regen, Danube's northernmost point. It is the capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the ...
. In December 2014, he was appointed to a position in the Roman Curia
The Roman Curia () comprises the administrative institutions of the Holy See and the central body through which the affairs of the Catholic Church are conducted. The Roman Curia is the institution of which the Roman Pontiff ordinarily makes use ...
beginning in March 2015 as a delegate to the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelisation, assigned to the International Council for catechesis
Catechesis (; from Greek: , "instruction by word of mouth", generally "instruction") is basic Christian religious education of children and adults, often from a catechism book. It started as education of converts to Christianity, but as the ...
.
For several months in 2015, Apostolic Administrator Grothe and other officials of the Limburg diocese sought to hold Tebartz-van Elst personally liable for the construction costs. This raised legal questions that only the Vatican could resolve. In September, the Holy See announced following discussions between Grothe, the Congregation for Bishops
The Dicastery for Bishops, formerly named Congregation for Bishops (), is the department of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church that oversees the selection of most new bishops. Its proposals require papal approval to take effect, but are usu ...
, and the Secretariat of State, that the diocese would not initiate legal proceedings against Tebartz-van Elst.
References
Sources
* Joachim Valentin (editor): ''Der „Fall“ Tebartz-van Elst.'' Herder, Freiburg 2014, .
* Otto Kettmann (editor): ''Limburg 2013 – Anatomie eines Skandals.'' LIT, Berlin 2016, .
* Barbara Stühlmeyer (editress): ''Auf Christus getauft. Glauben leben und verkünden im 21. Jahrhundert''. Butzon & Bercker, Kevelaer 2019, .
External links
Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst [Catholic-Hierarchy]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tebartz-van Elst, Franz-Peter
1959 births
Living people
21st-century German Roman Catholic bishops
Roman Catholic bishops of Limburg
2013 scandals
2014 scandals
Scandals in Germany
People from Kleve