I went to a church recently and the tabernacle was not placed in the center (the apse), nor to the side (the transept), nor anywhere within the nave, chancel, etc. Rather, the tabernacle was placed in a separate room east of the north transept where it could not be seen from the nave or sanctuary. I actually had to ask someone where it was located because I couldn't not find it. This seems wrong to me, so I privately confronted the celebrant after mass. He told me that he's been trying to have the tabernacle moved back to the apse but that he cannot do it without the bishop's permission. I think he was lying to me because 1) the bishop in our diocese is conservative and very supportive of Eucharistic reverence, and 2) a new priest was recently assigned to our local parish and his first day on the job he moved the tabernacle to the apse. I would like to learn what the Church's official teachings are concerning this matter. Was the priest lying to me? What does Canon Law require for tabernacle placement?

This is not just a church architecture question but also a theology question. I've noticed that the tabernacle where the consecrated hosts are stored is often located in the center of the older Catholic churches, behind the altar, so when you enter the church, it is a focal point. But in more contemporary churches, the tabernacle is somewhere else and instead when you enter the church you see chairs where the priests sit. I would like to understand why this change occurred. Was there a change in theology? The message the newer layout sends compared to the old is that the priest has displaced the tabernacle. Surely that can't be the intended effect?