Pope Francis

[grace-land]

http://www.dw.de/pope-francis-temporarily-suspends-german-luxury-bishop/a-17178507

Pope Francis temporarily suspends German 'luxury' bishop
Date 23.10.2013

Pope Francis announced he would remove Bishop of Limburg Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst from his position for the time being, according to a Vatican statement on Wednesday. The decision came two days after the pontiff held a private audience with Tebartz-van Elst.

The pontiff had chosen to suspend Tebartz-van Elst because he "could not [carry out his duties] at the current time," given the controversy surrounding his costly renovation project, the Vatican statement said.

Vicar general Wolfgang Rösch from the neighboring city of Wiesbaden was named as the temporary caretaker for the bishop of Limburg's diocese. Rösch had already been selected to become Limburg's vicar general beginning January 2014.

It was not immediately clear how long German bishop would be suspended.

German daily newspaper "Bild" reported on Wednesday that the suspension was expected to last two to three months.

There was no immediate comment from the bishop.

The 'luxury' bishop

Tebartz-van Elst, 53, became an object of public scrutiny this month when his diocese announced the costs for the renovation of his new residence and offices would be 31 million euros, far beyond the original estimate of 5.5 million euros.
 

[Sister]

http://www.dw.de/pope-francis-temporarily-suspends-german-luxury-bishop/a-17178507

Pope Francis temporarily suspends German 'luxury' bishop
Date 23.10.2013

Pope Francis announced he would remove Bishop of Limburg Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst from his position for the time being, according to a Vatican statement on Wednesday. The decision came two days after the pontiff held a private audience with Tebartz-van Elst.

The pontiff had chosen to suspend Tebartz-van Elst because he "could not [carry out his duties] at the current time," given the controversy surrounding his costly renovation project, the Vatican statement said.

Vicar general Wolfgang Rösch from the neighboring city of Wiesbaden was named as the temporary caretaker for the bishop of Limburg's diocese. Rösch had already been selected to become Limburg's vicar general beginning January 2014.

It was not immediately clear how long German bishop would be suspended.

German daily newspaper "Bild" reported on Wednesday that the suspension was expected to last two to three months.

There was no immediate comment from the bishop.

The 'luxury' bishop

Tebartz-van Elst, 53, became an object of public scrutiny this month when his diocese announced the costs for the renovation of his new residence and offices would be 31 million euros, far beyond the original estimate of 5.5 million euros.
 

grace-land, thanks for the update.  I read the article this morning -- I did not know Germany still had a church-tax.  Wow!

[grace-land]

You're welcome, Sister!

I've been following the situation with the bishop for over a week now.  And I was surprised this morning when I heard on the radio that he was "expelled."  Well, it turns out that he is on a leave of absence, not expelled nor suspended, as articles have been reporting.  Also, the amount that is given covered the bishop's residence and diocesan office center, but the reports continue to wrongly claim that the amount is for the bishop's residence.  Careless reporting I guess.  Sister, I didn't know about the church-tax in Germany.  I wonder if any other country in the world has one--very unusual in this day and age of separation of church and state.  Here's some more information about the church-tax in Germany...

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-23/pope-puts-german-bishop-on-leave-pending-audit-on-cost-overruns.html
Pope Puts Bishop on Leave Over $43 Million Residence
Oct 23, 2013 8:32 AM CT

Under an arrangement that became nationwide in the Weimar Republic in 1919, Germany’s Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches, Jewish congregations and some other religious groups receive financing through taxes on members assessed through their local municipalities. The Catholic church’s income from the tax totals about 5 billion euros a year.

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/10/23/limburg_bishop_to_stay_outside_of_diocese_for_now/en1-739969

2013-10-23 16:28:50
Limburg Bishop to stay outside of Diocese for now

(VIS) – A communique was issued today by the Holy See Press Office, published in full below.

“The Holy Father has been continually informed in detail and objectively on the situation regarding the diocese of Limburg. In the diocese, a situation has arisen in which Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst cannot, at the present moment, continue to exercise his episcopal ministry.

Following Cardinal Lajolo's 'fraternal visit' in September, the German Bishops' Conference, in accordance with an agreement between the bishop and the Chapter of Limburg Cathedral, has constituted a Commission to carry out a detailed examination of the matter of the building of the bishop's residence. Pending the results of this examination and of an analysis of responsibility for the matter, the Holy See considers it appropriate to authorise for Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst a period of stay outside the diocese.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.catholicregister.org/news/international/item/17085-pope-authorizes-leave-of-absence-for-german-luxury-bishop

Pope authorizes leave of absence for German 'luxury bishop'     
Written by Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service
Wednesday, 23 October 2013 11:54

 
The bishop has been at the centre of controversy for months over the remodeling and building project in Limburg, which is estimated to have cost about $40 million. German media have dubbed Tebartz-van Elst the "luxury bishop."

Pope Francis discussed the situation Oct. 17 with Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, president of the German bishops' conference, and with Tebartz-van Elst himself Oct. 21.

In early September, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, sent retired Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo to visit the diocese to promote peace between the bishop and some of the diocese's priests concerned about the project.

After the cardinal's visit, the bishop agreed to publish figures about the construction project and co-operate with a commission established by the bishops' conference to audit the project and examine how decisions were made. In most cases, Church law requires consultation with a diocesan finance council before large sums of diocesan money can be spent.

The Vatican said Oct. 23 that Tebartz-van Elst would remain outside the diocese until the results of the audit and "the connected verification of responsibility in the matter" were known.

 

[grace-land]

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/catholicnews/2013/10/german-bishop-on-leave-while-luxury-charges-scrutinized/

German bishop on leave while ‘luxury’ charges scrutinized
October 23, 2013 By CNA Daily News

 
The bishop’s defenders say the home on the residence property was in fact ordered to be built by his predecessor. The bishop himself has said that the cost overrun on the ten-building property includes spending on needed work for the sake of historic preservation.

And the diocese reportedly had only paid for a business class seat for the bishop’s flight home from India, but he was upgraded to first class because of flight miles accumulated by his vicar general.

The Bishop of Limburg has come under heavy fire in the press, with some reports characterizing him as the “bishop of bling.”

Bishop Tebartz-van Elst met with Pope Francis to discuss his situation Oct. 21. The Vatican press office said the Pope has been “continually informed in detail and objectively” on the situation.

Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg has supported the Limburg bishop, describing him as “a modest man” who has his “full support.”

“It is a very complicated story and I have heard that the house has been opened now and everyone that sees the house asks themselves why a big circus and theater has been made out of this,” Bishop Voderholzer told CNA in September.

The Regensburg bishop suggested there are “other reasons” for the controversy, alluding to “forces at work.”

It is believed the relatively young bishop – only 53 years of age – is cleaning house in his diocese after its former leader, Bishop Franz Kamphaus, caused controversies with Rome.

For years, Bishop Kamphaus had continued to allow church centers to provide counseling to women wanting to have an abortion, despite a papal order to end the practice. Abortion is technically illegal under German law, though the counselors provided the women with certificates that protect them from prosecution.

Bishop Kamphaus' practice raised concerns that the Church was unethically cooperating in the procurement of abortions and Pope John Paul II urged the practice to stop in a 1998 letter.

In the bishop’s absence, the Holy See has appointed Father Wolfgang Rosch to administrate the Diocese of Limburg. Fr. Rosch was scheduled to become the diocese’s vicar general Jan. 1, but took the position today, temporarily leading the diocese.

Bishop Tebartz-van Elst was ordained a priest for the Muenster diocese in 1985, and at the age of 44 was consecrated as an auxiliary bishop of the same diocese in 2003. He was installed as Bishop of Limburg in Jan., 2008.

[Sister]

Church tax


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 

Jump to: navigation, search


A church tax is a tax imposed on members of some religious congregations in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Sweden, some parts of Switzerland and several other countries.



Contents
  [hide] 1 Austria
2 Croatia
3 Denmark
4 Finland
5 Germany
6 Iceland
7 Italy
8 Sweden
9 Switzerland
10 See also
11 External links
12 References

 

[grace-land]

Church tax


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 

Jump to: navigation, search


A church tax is a tax imposed on members of some religious congregations in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Sweden, some parts of Switzerland and several other countries.



Contents
  [hide] 1 Austria
2 Croatia
3 Denmark
4 Finland
5 Germany
6 Iceland
7 Italy
8 Sweden
9 Switzerland
10 See also
11 External links
12 References

 

Thanks, Sister!  Interesting!  Personally, I think that contributions by members of a church, synagogue, etc. should be free-will offerings to support them.  jmo

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/10/24/pope_francis_at_morning_mass:_we_are_made_new_in_christ/en1-740250

2013-10-24 13:46:46
Pope Francis at morning Mass: we are made new in Christ

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis celebrated Mass on Thursday morning in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae residence in the Vatican. In his remarks following the readings, the Holy Father focused on the universal call to holiness. Listen: RealAudioMP3

“We have been re-made i​nChrist! What Christ has done in us is a re-creation: the blood of Christ has re-created. It is a second creation! If before the whole of our life: our body, our soul, our habits, were on the road of sin, iniquity; after this re-creation we must make the effort to walk on the path of righteousness , sanctification – use this word: holiness. All of us were baptized: at that mometn, our parents - we were just children - made the act of faith in our name: ‘I believe in Jesus Christ,’ who has forgiven us our sins’ I believe in Jesus Christ.”

The Pope went on to say that we must make this faith our own and let it be the lode star of our lives. “To live as Christians,” he said, “is to bring forth this faith in Christ, this re-creation,” and with faith carry on the works that arise from this faith - works of holiness. He said that we must carry forward, “the first sanctification that we all received in Baptism.”:

“Really we are weak and many times, many times , we commit sins, imperfections - and is this the way of sanctification? Yes and no! If you get used to it: 'My life is a bit so-so… I believe in Jesus Christ, but I live the way I want to’ Oh , no, that will not sanctify, that is wrong! It is a contradiction! If, however, you say, ‘I, even I am a sinner, I am weak,’ and if you go always to the Lord and say: ‘But, Lord, You have the strength, give me faith! You can make me clean,’ [and if] you let yourself be healed in the Sacrament of Reconciliation – yes, even our imperfections are used along the way of sanctification. But it is always a question of ‘before’ and ‘after’.”
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/10/24/pope_francis:_a_bishop_is_to_serve,_not_dominate/en1-740400

2013-10-24 17:40:51
Pope Francis: A bishop is to serve, not dominate

Pope Francis on Thursday afternoon consecrated two new Archbishops in St. Peter’s Basilica. The two new Archbishops are both Papal Nuncios. French Archbishop Jean-Marie Speich was named Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana in August, while Italian Archbishop Giampiero Gloder was in September named the President of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, which is dedicated to the training of the priests who will serve in the Diplomatic Corps of the Holy See.

In his homily Pope Francis said the bishop is like the head of the family, and should always have the Good Shepherd as an example. He also reminded the new Archbishops that there new position is one of service, not honor. “Always in service,” the Pope repeated. “Keep in mind that you were selected to serve, not to dominate.” He also said a bishop must be a man of prayer, because otherwise he will fall into worldliness.
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/10/24/pope_meets_with_jewish_human_rights_group/en1-740239

2013-10-24 14:19:12
Pope meets with Jewish human rights group

(Vatican Radio) In a meeting with a delegation from an international Jewish human rights organization on Thursday, the Pope stressed that the problem of intolerance must be confronted.

Several representatives from the U.S.-based Simon Wiesenthal Centre met with Pope Francis in the Sala Clementina. He acknowledged the mission of the centre, which is to fight every form of racism, intolerance and anti-Semitism, to preserve the memory of the Shoah and to promote mutual understanding between cultures.

The Pope remarked that he has had several occasions in the past few weeks to restate “the Church’s condemnation of all forms of anti-Semitism.”

He added that he wanted to emphasize that “the problem of intolerance must be confronted in all its forms”.

“Wherever any minority is persecuted and marginalized because of its religious convictions or ethnic identity,” he said, “the well-being of society as a whole is endangered and each one of us must feel affected.”

He made reference “with particular sadness” to the “suffering, marginalization and very real persecutions, which not a few Christians are undergoing in various countries”.

He called on everyone to combine their efforts in favour of “a culture of encounter, respect, understanding and mutual forgiveness”, and underlined that education is of particular importance in the creation of such a culture.
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/10/24/british_parliamentarians_conclude_visit_to_the_vatican/en1-740157

2013-10-24 12:19:48
British parliamentarians conclude visit to the Vatican

(Vatican Radio) British politicians from the All Party Parliamentary Group on the Holy See concluded a visit to the Holy See on Thursday, accompanied by the Catholic chaplain to the UK Parliament, Canon Pat Browne.

The 11 member Group, led by the Co-Chair Sir Edward Leigh, met with the Pope following his General Audience on Wednesday, held talks with top officials at the Secretariat of State and other Vatican offices, as well as visiting Caritas Internationalis and the Sant’Egidio Community.

The Group is made up of representatives of both House of Parliament and all the principal political parties. Its main role is “to monitor the relationship between the UK and the Holy See,” exploring a broad range of issues pertaining to the Vatican and the work of the Catholic Church”.
 

[grace-land]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO8Lz9KNBwY#t=69

Holy Mass with the ordination of Bishops - Santa Messa con ordinazioni episcopali
Streamed live on Oct 24, 2013 

(EN) Pope Francis presides at mass with the ordination of Bishops
(IT) Papa Francesco presiede la Santa Messa due ordinazioni episcopali nella Basilica di San Pietro.

[grace-land]

http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/

Thursday, October 24, 2013
The "Bling Bishop" Exits... Of Sorts

Saying Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst "cannot, at the present moment, continue to exercise his episcopal ministry" after months of embarrassing revelations on the prelate's lavish spending for a new diocesan compound, while it was anything but surprising that Rome moved yesterday to depressurize the fraught situation in Limburg, the solution reached was a remarkable departure from the standard course of action.

Instead of accepting the 53 year-old prelate's resignation or announcing his forced removal from office, the Vatican instead relayed that Tebartz-van Elst was being "authorized" to spend "a period outside the diocese," pending the outcome of an investigation by the German bishops' conference. In addition, "by decision of the Holy See," a new vicar-general previously named by the embattled prelate and scheduled to take office in January was placed in post immediately to oversee the diocese in the absence of the so-called "luxury bishop."

With some 700,000 Catholics, the Limburg church encompasses the far larger city of Frankfurt and much of its sprawling metro area.

After disclosures that Tebartz-van Elst spent $475,000 on walk-in closets and $20,000 on a bathtub among other big-ticket items for his residence in the new facility adjacent to his cathedral, the Vatican's handling of the fallout is extraordinary on several fronts. First, because it precisely isn't the "suspension" that has been widely misreported – indeed, the move is not a formal canonical act of any kind – but likewise as it's a substantive instance of the intended fresh push for collegiality by Pope Francis. In other words, far from derailing a locally-called probe to impose a definitive, permanent resolution from on high, the Holy See has indicated that, in essence, the final verdict on Tebartz-van Elst's future lies with his confreres at home.
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/10/25/pope_francis:_confess_sins_with_concreteness_and_sincerity/en1-740557

2013-10-25 13:04:18
Pope Francis: confess sins with concreteness and sincerity

(Vatican Radio) To have the courage in the presence of the confessor to call sin by its name, without hiding it: Pope Francis homily this morning at the Casa Santa Marta was focused entirely on the Sacrament of Reconciliation. To go to Confession, he said, is to encounter the love of Jesus with sincerity of heart and with the transparency of children, not refusing, but even welcoming the “grace of shame” that makes us perceive God’s forgiveness.

For many believing adults, confessing to a priest is an unbearable effort – that often leads one to avoid the Sacrament – or such a painful process that it transforms the moment of truth into an exercise of fiction. Pope Francis, commenting on the Letter to the Romans, says that Saint Paul does exactly the opposite: he admits publically to the community that “good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh.” He acknowledges that he is a “slave” who does not do the good that he wants to do, but the evil that he does not want to do. This happens in the life of faith, the Pope said, that “when I want to do good, evil is close to me”:

“This is the struggle of Christians. It is our struggle every day. And we do not always have the courage to speak as Paul spoke about this struggle. We always seek a way of justification: ‘But yes, we are all sinners.’ But we say it like that, don’t we? This says it dramatically: it is our struggle. And if we don’t recognize this, we will never be able to have God’s forgiveness. Because if being a sinner is a word, a way of speaking, a manner of speaking, we have no need of God’s forgiveness. But if it is a reality that makes us slaves, we need this interior liberation of the Lord, of that force. But more important here is that, to find the way out, Paul confesses his sin to the community, his tendency to sin. He doesn’t hide it.”

Confession of sins, done with humility, is something the Church requires of all of us, Pope Francis noted, citing the invitation of Saint James: “Confess your sins to one another.” Not to get noticed by others, the Pope explained, “but to give glory to God,” to recognise that it is God Who saves me. That, the Pope continued, is why one goes to a brother, a “brother priest” to confess. And one must do as Paul did – above all, confessing with the same “concreteness”:

“Some say: ‘Ah, I confess to God.’ But it’s easy, it’s like confessing by email, no? God is far away, I say things and there’s no face-to-face, no eye-to-eye contact. Paul confesses his weakness to the brethren face-to-face. Others [say], ‘No, I go to confession,’ but they confess so many ethereal things, so many up-in-the-air things, that they don’t have anything concrete. And that’s the same as not doing it. Confessing our sins is not going to a psychiatrist, or to a torture chamber: it’s saying to the Lord, ‘Lord, I am a sinner,’ but saying it through the brother, because this says it concretely. ‘I am sinner because of this, that and the other thing.’”
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/10/25/pope_francis:_do_not_abandon_children,_marginalize_elderly/en1-740506

2013-10-25 13:13:35
Pope Francis: Do not abandon children, marginalize elderly

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis called the family a “community of life with its own consistent autonomy”, and that it is the “natural centre of human life”, “the engine of the world and history”, and the “place you learn to love”.

He was speaking on Friday to participants of the XXI Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Family. The Assembly has been looking at the theme “Family, Live the Joy of Faith” and also marked the 30th Anniversary of the Holy See’s 1983 Charter on the Rights of the Family.

Listen to Charles Collins's report... RealAudioMP3

“Each of us builds his own personality in the family, growing up with their mother and father, brothers and sisters, breathing in the warmth of the house,” Pope Francis said. “In the family, a person becomes aware of his own dignity, and especially if his education is Christian, recognizes the dignity of every human person, and in a special way, that of the sick, weak and marginalized.”

The Holy Father reminded the participants the family is based on marriage, which he called “like a first sacrament of humanity”.
 

[grace-land]

Pope Francis was given a car recently....  See it at the link.   

http://wdtprs.com/blog/2013/10/hows-my-driving/

How’s my driving
Posted on 22 October 2013 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/10/26/pope_receives_jesuit_school_alumni/en1-740917

2013-10-26 13:43:05
Pope receives Jesuit school alumni

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received about 30 alumni from Jesuit schools in Uruguay in a noon-hour audience on Saturday. Many children, to whom he referred as “a promise and a hope”, were also present for the cordial meeting. He commented on his memories of Uruguay.

“I do not know when a trip will be planned there,” he said. “Certainly not before 2016. However, what is certain is that if I visit Argentina, I will have to visit Chile and Uruguay, all three.”
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/10/26/pope_francis_presents_2013_ratzinger_prize/en1-740867

2013-10-26 12:59:00
Pope Francis presents 2013 Ratzinger Prize

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday presented the 2013 Ratzinger Prize to joint recipients: a German lay theologian and an Anglican English Biblical scholar.

In his address, the Pope reflected on the works of Benedict XVI, after whom the award is named. Highlighting the Jesus of Nazareth series, written by Benedict during his pontificate, Pope Francis said his predecessor had given to the Church and to all people a precious gift: his understanding of Jesus, the fruit of years of study, prayer and theological engagement, in a way that is widely accessible.

The recipients of this year’s Ratzinger Prize are: Christian Schaller, professor of dogmatic theology and deputy director of the Pope Benedict XVI Institute of Regensburg, Germany, which is publishing the complete works of Joseph Ratzinger, and Rev Canon Professor Richard Burridge, dean of King's College London and a minister in the Anglican Communion.
 

[grace-land]

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/10/26/pope_to_families:_live_the_joy_of_faith!/en1-740977

2013-10-26 18:46:22
Pope to families: Live the Joy of Faith!

(Vatican Radio) Speaking on Saturday evening in St. Peter's Square to thousands of families gathered to celebrate a weekend Family Pilgrimage to the Tomb of St. Peter, Pope Francis invited all generations to come together and live the joy of Faith.

After having listened to the experiences and the stories those present had shared with him, the Pope said: “I have seen so many children, so many grandparents… I have felt the pain of families living in situations of poverty and war. I have listened to the young people who want to be married even though they face numerous difficulties. And so, let us ask ourselves: how is it possible to live the joy which comes from faith, in the family, today?”

He continued his address reflecting on a passage in the Gospel of Matthew in which Jesus says: “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” and pointed out that life can often be wearisome. Work is tiring – he said - looking for work is exhausting. But what is most burdensome in life is a lack of love. Without love – Pope Francis said - the burden becomes even heavier.

And turning his thoughts to elderly people living alone, and to families who receive no help in caring for someone at home with special needs, the Pope said the Lord knows our struggles and the burdens we have in our lives. But he also knows our great desire to find joy and rest!

Pope Francis went on to reflect on marriage which he described as life-long journey “Setting out and walking together, hand in hand, putting yourselves in the Lord’s powerful hands”.