With Pope Francis, donations have dropped. Now the Vatican is at risk.

On more than one occasion francesco He cited the saying that money is the “devil’s dung,” but economic issues are close to the Pope’s heart and this is also evidenced by letter It was sent two days ago to the members of the College of Cardinals. In it, the Pope defended the reforms of his papacy and placed them in continuity with the requests made by the various cardinals in the general assemblies of the conclave that ended with his election.

Zero Deficit Goal

But the message was not limited to the past but focused on the future. Bergoglio wrote that “It is now imperative that everyone do more to ensure this.” “Zero deficit” Not just a theoretical goal, but a goal that can actually be achieved.” The Pope’s request is not merely a request to contain costs but is a manifestation of “It is essential that every institution work to find external resources for its mission, to be an example of transparent and responsible management in the service of the Church. Francis turned to the cardinals to ask them avoid unnecessary And choosing priorities in knowing that “Today we face strategic decisions that must be taken with great responsibility, because we are called upon to ensure the future of the mission.” The alarm about the Holy See’s coffers was sounded last May by the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who admitted in an interview with Milano & Finanza that “Today everyone is struggling to survive, even the Holy See. She doesn’t have it easy.” Blaming the decline in donations from the rest of the world.

Request to institutions

The Pope’s message touched on a specific topic in a specific paragraph in which we read: “The institutions of the Holy See have much to learn from the solidarity of good families. As in these families, those who are in a good economic situation come to the aid of the members most in need, and organizations that record a surplus They should contribute. To cover the general deficit. These lines are the real gist of the papal letter that some have mistakenly presented as a request to the cardinals to tighten their belts. In fact, far from a general reference to avoiding the unnecessary, there are novelties in the letter: It does not concern college members. But the institutions that make up the Curia and are linked to the Holy See. What he learns iljournal.it, The Pope’s latest initiative will not serve as a warning against further tightening of the cardinal’s plate, which has already been reduced during this papacy.

More money from Korea

In the latest budget for 2023, the Holy See’s deficit increased. Exceeded 83 million euros Following the increasing trend in recent years. This deficit has always been ensured by the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA), the Prefecture of the Vatican City State and by the now famous Church. Peter PenceThe decrease in donations acknowledged by Parolin to “Milan and Finanza” impoverished Pence, which also weakened the coverage of the deficit. Faced with this situation, the Pope decided to “return to his homeland” those bodies of the Holy See that register surplus Because they have revenue but don’t have to worry about heavy expenses, as they are not responsible for employee salaries. Bergoglio stated in the letter: “The temptation of rigidity and inflexibility in the face of change.” Words that can also refer to the same letter, as far as we know, are: iljournal.it, It has been on the papal desk for several months. One can imagine that this request will not please the heads of departments who have all now been called upon to contribute to the project. Covering the deficitThe zero deficit mentioned in the letter is the goal that the Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy of the Holy See (Spe), a layman, is striving to achieve. Maximino Caballero Lido Which he explained to Ansa on one of his very rare public outings: “If we wanted to cover this deficit only by cutting expenses, we would have to close 43 of the 53 entities of the Roman Curia, and this is not possible. Therefore, we must work hard to increase revenues.”

Everything indicates that the Pope’s initiative had strong support from the Spe who, according to multiple sources, was responsible for the restrictions in the Vatican that in recent years have created discontent among the staff.