Bishops abandon their plush cars
The Local Italy - [email protected]
Published: 25 Oct, 2013 CET.
Updated: Fri 25 Oct 2013 09:51 CET
About a dozen bishops have shed their luxury cars for more “modest” vehicles after Pope Francis said in July “it bothers me when I see a priest or a sister with a brand new car”.
The news also comes in the same week German bishop, Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, nicknamed ‘bling Bishop’, was forced to take a sabbatical after spending a whopping €31 million on revamping his home.
A number of bishops and high prelates had already started to trim their expenses by replacing their golden crosses with more modest silver or metal ones since Pope Francis’ arrival at the Vatican, Corriere della Sera reported.
And now they have gone one step further in heeding the advice of their boss, who travels around in an old Ford Focus, by shedding their plush cars. The Pope has also driven an old Renault 4 and Volkswagen Phaeton in recent months.
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The news also comes in the same week German bishop, Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, nicknamed ‘bling Bishop’, was forced to take a sabbatical after spending a whopping €31 million on revamping his home.
A number of bishops and high prelates had already started to trim their expenses by replacing their golden crosses with more modest silver or metal ones since Pope Francis’ arrival at the Vatican, Corriere della Sera reported.
And now they have gone one step further in heeding the advice of their boss, who travels around in an old Ford Focus, by shedding their plush cars. The Pope has also driven an old Renault 4 and Volkswagen Phaeton in recent months.
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