Pope Francis cuts cardinals' pay to pursue Vatican's 'zero deficit' goal
With the goal to achieve a "zero deficit" budget, the Vatican is expected to decrease the monthly salary of its highest cardinals by 500 euros ($540). According to a letter from Maximino Caballero Ledo, head of the Vatican's finance office, this cut, beginning November 1, affects roughly 20 cardinals supervising Vatican departments, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
The drop reflects the elimination of allowances usually used to employ personal secretaries. Romanian Cardinals get a monthly stipend thought to be between 4,000 and 5,000 euros (2,106,080 to 2,632,600 tenge). The eliminated allowances are calculated to be about 500 euros (263,260 tenge).
Following recent financial austerity measures, Pope Francis discontinued subsidized rentals for top Vatican officials in 2023 and previously reduced salaries for senior Vatican officials in 2021. These actions aim to simplify Church finances in view of reduced income resulting from the COVID-19 epidemic.
