"Symbolic sacrifice"

Pope cuts the salaries of his cardinals

Pope Francis is cutting back and reducing the salaries of the cardinals.

(Bild: AFP/Andreas Solaro)

The pontiff is taking out the red pencil: According to a media report, Pope Francis is cutting the salaries of his cardinals, who will earn several hundred euros less per month from November.

According to the Roman daily newspaper "Il Messaggero", the average cardinal's salary is around 5,000 euros per month. The communication to the cardinals announcing the salary cuts was signed by the head of the Secretariat for the Economy, Prefect Maximino Caballero, according to the report.

Reduction in allowances as a "symbolic sacrifice"
The cut in two salary items was announced. One relates to secretarial costs, the so-called "secretarial allowance", and the other to the "office allowance", which was previously part of the monthly salary. The cuts are "a symbolic sacrifice in the true spirit of cooperation for the good of the Church", according to the Vatican.

Last week, Francis had sent a communication to the more than 200 members of the College of Cardinals announcing that the spending review already underway should be reinforced with further measures. He also encouraged each head of department to minimize the burden on the coffers.

Pope wants to achieve zero deficit
The Pope's aim is to achieve a zero deficit, a goal that is described as "achievable", despite the fact that St. Peter's obolus is decreasing every year, while the salaries of the Vatican's more than 4,000 employees, on whom almost ten million euros are spent every month, are increasing. Two years ago, Jesuit Father Guerrero Alves, predecessor of the current Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, warned the Pope that bold decisions were needed to balance the books.