GERMANY CONSTRUCTION BISHOPAn aerial view showing the new building of the residence ( C ) of bishop Franz - Peter Tebartz - van Elst situated directly in front of the Limburg Cathedral ( bottom ) in Limburg , Germany , 09 October 2013 . A German bishop at the centre of a scandal surrounding the building of a new multi - million euro church residence was accused by prosecutors 10 October 2013 of lying under oath . Bishop Franz - Peter Tebartz - van Elst of Limburg in the West German state of Hesse state is accused by Hamburg prosecutors of making false statements in a court case concerning a first - class flight he took to India . Prosecutors claim the 53 - year - old bishop made false statements twice under oath during court action against the news weekly Der Spiegel when he denied having told the magazine that he flew only business class . If found guilty , he could face a fine . The bishop is already under pressure to resign from priests and diocese bodies following revelations about the dramatic escalation in costs to more than 31 million euros ( 42 million dollars ) for building the new bishop ' s residence . The residence , which is next to the Limburg Cathedral , had been projected to cost 5 . 5 million euros when construction began in 2010 . EPA / THOMAS FREY ▶   연합뉴스 " 모바일 앱 다운 받 기 "▶   지금 뉴스 스탠드 에서 뉴스 Y 를 만나 보 세요 ! ▶   그림 으로 보 는 " 인터랙티브 뉴스 "< 저작권자 ( c ) 연합뉴스 . 무단 전재 - 재배 포금 지 . >