Pope Francis
Pope warns that organized crime is trying to cash in on pandemic Pope compares racism to virus Catholic priests promise to bless gay unions in defiance of Vatican MORE On Wednesday, it issued a decree calling for a 10% reduction in cardinal wages and a reduction in salaries for clerics in the Vatican, in an effort to save the jobs of other employees.
The Vatican announced the order, saying the cuts will begin on the first day of April and that lower-level employees will see no effect on their salaries, according to Reuters.
Clerics and other department heads will see a 3- to 8 percent pay cut, with pay raises suspended until March 2023. Senior staff and other papal basilicas in the Vatican will also follow the same cuts, Reuters reported.
Cardinals working and living in the Vatican or Rome would receive salaries of around 4,000-5,000 euros per month, which will be reduced in accordance with the Pope’s order.
The pope has repeatedly mentioned that he did not want to fire any employees, the press said.
The Vatican’s chief economic officer noted earlier this month that for the Holy See, which is the Catholic Church’s administrative body, nearly 40m euros in reserves could be used for the second year in a row as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. , Reuters reported.
Because of COVID-19, the Vatican was forced to close Vatican museums, which bring in much of its funding, for nearly 15 months. It looks like a deficit of about $ 59.77 million is expected this year.