Cardinals and Vatican Superiors will no longer be able to live cheaply in the future Cardinals and Vatican Superiors will no longer be able to live cheaply in the future

Vatican austerity course: In the future, cardinals and high-ranking Curia officials will no longer be able to rent and use Holy See real estate for free or particularly cheaply. Pope Francis ordered this because of the dire economic situation in the Vatican, the official news portal Vatican News reported on Wednesday. The resolution is particularly addressed to cardinals, heads of dicasteries, secretaries and administrators.

Until now, clergy in high positions have been allowed to live cheaply or even for free in Vatican apartments within the walls of the Papal States or beyond in Rome. From now on, the same prices must be charged as for persons without office in the Holy See.

The measure is a response to the increasingly difficult economic situation in the Vatican. All would have to make an “extraordinary sacrifice to provide more money for the mission of the Holy See,” Vatican News quoted the decision as saying. They now want to increase income through higher rents of their own properties. However, current leases kept their current terms until their term expired.

Nearly two years ago, the Pope introduced austerity measures at the Holy See. Due to enormous financial problems at the time, including the corona pandemic, Francis had cut the salaries of senior clergy. Even then, it was mainly clerics such as cardinals, heads of the curia, secretaries of the dicasteries, but also priests and religious who were affected. (sda/dpa)