The Vatican has suspended a senior German Church leader dubbed the "bishop of bling" by the media over his alleged lavish spending.
Bishop of Limburg Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst is accused of spending more than 31m euros (£26m; $42m) on renovating his official residence.
The bishop's official residence in Limburg has been described as luxurious
The Vatican said it deemed "appropriate... a period of leave from the diocese" for the bishop.The suspension comes two days after he met the Pope to discuss the matter. It said a Church commission would rule on the matter, but did not say where Bishop Tebartz-van Elst, 53, would go or what he would do while the inquiry was held. "A situation has been created in which the bishop can no longer exercise his episcopal duties", a Vatican statement said. The head of Germany's main lay Catholic group, the Central Committee of German Catholics, Alois Glueck, welcomed the Vatican's decision. He said: "Pope Francis's decision offers the chance of a first step toward a new beginning in the Limburg diocese, because the situation has become an increasing burden for the faithful there, and in all of Germany, over recent weeks."
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