Pope approves pay cuts for cardinals, top management, religious at Vatican

Pope Francis celebrates a Mass with cardinals in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. (CNS photo/Paolo Galosi, pool)

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — With the need to reduce costs and make sure employees are not laid off, Pope Francis has approved pay cuts for cardinals, clergy, religious and upper management officials who work in the Roman Curia and other Vatican entities. The pay cuts will go into effect starting April 1, according to a papal decree issued March 24. Because the “financial management of the Holy See” has seen deficits each year and because revenues have been substantially reduced with the Covid-19 pandemic, “a sustainable economic future requires today, among other decisions, adopting measures that also concern employee salaries,” the papal decree said. To contain costs and ensure employees are not laid off, the pope approved measures “according to criteria of proportionality and progressivity,” which resulted in cuts for lay employees with higher pay-grade levels and for priests and religious. Cardinals who work at the Vatican will see a 10 percent reduction to their salary, which has been estimated to be about 5,000 euros ($5,960) a month.