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Bishop Georg BätzingDiocese of Limburg/Facebook

MAINZ, Germany (LifeSiteNews) — The heterodox head of the German bishops’ conference has posed in a bizarre carnival season costume to make fun of a predecessor’s overspending in his diocese. 

The diocese of Limburg posted to social media a photo of Bishop Georg Bätzing wearing a T-shirt that reads “More than just golden bathtub.” He also wore a golden hat and bow tie. 

The costume is an allusion to a scandal involving Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, Bätzing’s more conservative predecessor as Bishop of Limburg. In 2013, it became public that Benedict XVI’s appointee Tebartz-van Elst had spent over €31 million (around $42 million at the time) on his new residence, about six times more than had been estimated at the start of construction. One of the extravagant items that the former Bishop of Limburg reportedly bought for his new home was a golden bathtub although some claim that the bathtub never existed. Nevertheless, the golden bathtub became a symbol of the alleged exorbitant spending habits of Tebartz-van Elst. 

READ: Media that crucified ‘Bishop of Bling’ silent on liberal, overspending Francis adviser Cardinal Marx 

Bätzing wore the outfit to a carnival (pre-Lenten) celebration that took place in the city of Mainz on February 17. 

While several people reacted positively online to Bätzing displaying his sense of humor, he also received harsh criticism and ridicule. 

“If I were you, Bishop Bätzing, I would be ashamed of myself,” one user wrote. 

“Pathetic and absolutely unworthy of a representative of the Catholic Church. Modesty & restraint would be appropriate,” another user opined. 

Some of the people who commented also took issue with Bätzing for taking a jab at his predecessor, instead of reflecting on his own inadequate actions. 

In contrast to Tebartz-van Elst, Bätzing is known for his heterodoxy, his open dissent from Church teaching, and for ignoring orders from Rome. 

READ: Cdl. Müller: ‘German Synodal sect’ has replaced Catholic faith with LGBT ideology 

He is the head of the German Synodal Path, which openly seeks to change perennial church teaching on matters like homosexuality and women’s ordination. A document approved by participants of the Synodal Way claims that sodomy is “not a sin” and “not to be judged as intrinsically evil.” Bishop Bätzing has said that Catholic teaching on homosexuality “must be changed” and was responsible for a working document of the Synodal Path that endorsed masturbation and contraception. 

In January 2023, Bätzing’s diocese published new guidelines that effectively forced priests to accept homosexuality and transgenderism as natural iterations of “sexual identity and orientation.” 

READ: German bishop announces new guidelines forcing priests to accept homosexuality, transgenderism 

 

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