A test of papal resolve

HAS Pope Francis fudged his response to the first real test of his papacy? Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, Bishop of Limburg — dubbed the “Bishop of Bling” by the German media — appears to have got off lightly after splurging €31m on a luxurious new home.

Yes, he has been temporarily suspended, but many commentators, inside and beyond Germany, as well as many ordinary German Catholics, had expected that he would have been dismissed by a Pope who has made known his commitment to “a Church that is poor and for the poor”.

The matter isn’t over yet, but the initial response from Pope Francis is very lenient, given the lavish spending on an episcopal residence. An investigation and audit will take place, after the bishop was ordered to stay outside his diocese “for a period”.