A little over a month has passed since the letter in which Pope Francis informed his 200 cardinals that the Vatican coffers They are going through a period of “lean cows” and it is necessary to tighten the belt. Then he did not specify more, but already this week he asked those who work or have worked in the Vatican to give up 500 euros per month.
The measure, which will be applied from November 1, affects only about 30 cardinals with high positions in the Vatican and represents a cut equivalent to just under 10% of their salary. The decision will save 180,000 euros per year, a symbolic figure and a gesture that lays the foundations to be able to request sacrifices from other senior Vatican officials.
Indeed, in the letter they received with the announcement of the measure, it is stated that they will need «other measures, which are being studied by the competent bodies” and that “will require the contribution of everyone in terms of commitment and willingness to renounce operating models that have been consolidated in practice over the years.”
The salary of senior Vatican officials is around 5,500 euros. What has been withdrawn is an “extra” of 500 which began to occur at least 25 years ago to cover secretarial and office expenses. The reason for this addition is that they are expenses linked to the exercise of the task that the Pope entrusts to them.
The cut does not affect cardinals who do not work for the Vatican and who are bishops in dioceses anywhere in the world, since they do not receive any salary from the Holy See.
It is the third time that Pope Francis asks for a “sacrifice” from the pockets of his cardinals. The first was in 2021, during the Covid pandemic, when it announced a 10% reduction; On that occasion he requested 8% from senior non-cardinal officials, and 3% from priest or religious employees.
The second cut was announced in March 2023, when the Vatican stopped covering at least part of the cost of renting the residence of your senior officials. It doesn’t look like the cut announced this week will be the last.
The person in charge of communicating the new measure has been the Spanish Maximino Caballero, Minister of Economy of the Vatican. In the letter he sent to the cardinals he addresses them as “the main collaborators of the College of Cardinals.”
It then informs you of the decision to “suspend the payment of the ‘Secretary bonus’ and the ‘Office supplement’ until now.” recognized among the monthly remuneration“, and frames the measure in the Pope’s request to “set a concrete example so that our service is carried out in a spirit of essentiality.” Furthermore, he bids farewell to them “trusting that this measure will be received with the most authentic spirit of cooperation for the good of the Church.”
“We are faced with strategic decisions that we must take with great responsibility, because we are called to ensure the future of the mission,” Francis had warned them with some drama on September 20. In that letter, The Pope first asked to find other ways to finance his departmentshow to seek the help of sponsors for some specific issues; and he advanced that the cardinals should “give a concrete example.” He also pointed out that “organisations with a surplus should help cover the general deficit”, but this third area has not yet been specified.
Maximino Caballero remains determined to reach “zero deficit”, despite the fact that in fiscal year 2023 he had a deficit of 83 million euros. One of the main expense items is Human Resources. The Holy See has more than 3,000 employees. It is estimated that each month he spends almost 10 million euros on salaries. The situation will worsen in the medium term since they must also support the weight of pensions. The Vatican does not have an industry, and is maintained through the rental of real estate predominantly in Italy and by donations from Catholics around the world.
Resignation of a cardinal
The Cardinals don’t win for scares. In addition to the letter from the Minister of Economy, this Tuesday the director of the press office of the Holy See briefly reported that “Pope Francis has accepted the request of His Excellency Paskalis Bruno Syukur, bishop of Bogor (Indonesia) not to be created cardinal during the next consistory. The request is motivated by his desire to grow even more in his priestly life, in his service to the Church and the people of God.
Neither Syukur nor the Vatican have given further explanations. He should receive the purple on December 7 and become the fourth Indonesian cardinal in history, but he has announced that he will not attend because he does not feel prepared.
Two years ago, the Salesian Luc Van Looy, bishop emeritus of Ghent, Belgium, also resigned from the cardinalate. His case was different because he was already over 80 years old and would have directly been an “emeritus” cardinal, as cardinals who do not have the right to participate in a conclave are informally called.
Van Looy preferred to resign from being a cardinal so as not to stir up controversy, as some accused him of not having acted forcefully when he was informed of two cases of sexual abuse. In his case, it was announced directly by the Belgian Episcopal Conference. «To prevent victims of these abuses from being harmed again After his cardinalate, he asked the Pope to exempt him from accepting this appointment. “Pope Francis has accepted your request,” a spokesperson then reported.
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