Have you ever dreamed about moving into a place that is nearly 6,500-square feet? Yeah, we think that it would be pretty cool to know that you have both an insane amount of space and well-off enough financially to afford something like that, right? While it may be a goal for any of us to achieve something like that, Catholic Pope Francis didn’t seem to be too excited when he found out about one of his Cardinals—Tarcisio Bertone—had done just that, though, seemingly contradicting the Pope’s request for his clergymen to be more humble.
As the Vatican’s former Secretary of State—which is essentially the church’s Prime Minister—Bertone proved that even serving the Lord has its benefits. While the exact price tag hasn’t been released, the flat includes a 1,000-square foot roof terrace and is considered to be 10 times bigger than the apartment in which the Pope currently lives.
While serving as the Secretary of State under former Pope Benedict XVI, Bertone was often criticized for being too authoritarian and connected with Italian politics, which resulted in asking the then pope to dismiss him from his duties. Adding to the story of Bertone’s luxurious house is the resignation of former German bishop Franz-Peter Terbartz-van Elst—nicknamed the “bling bishop” by the media for his spending habits—who also gained criticism for his official residence as well, which included a museum, conference halls, a chapel and private apartments which led to a value of nearly $43 million US dollars—which was all used from a religious tax in Germany.
So while it may be difficult to vow a lifetime of faithfulness and purity, it seems that the Catholic church’s elite have found a way to still live quite the blessed life—and not only because of their close relationship with the higher powers.
Photo by Eric Vandeville/Vatican Pool/Getty Images
