VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Emphasizing the need for fiscal accountability and transparency, Pope Francis urged members College of Cardinals to have "courage" in reaching the goal of a "zero deficit" in the Vatican budgets.
"Additional effort is now needed on everyone's part so that a 'zero deficit' may not only be a theoretically, but effectively achievable goal," the pope said in in a letter to cardinals dated Sept. 16 and released by the Vatican Sept. 20.
Pope Francis wrote that the 10 years since the reform of the Roman Curia began -- the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy was established in 2014 -- "have made it possible to gain a greater awareness of the fact that the economic resources at the service of the mission are limited and must be managed with rigor and seriousness so that the efforts of those who have contributed to the patrimony of the Holy See are not lost."
In letter to the secretariat staff in December 2023, the pope said the Vatican and the Holy See run "a major deficit every year" and a "turnaround" is necessary.
According to a July report in the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, the approved operating deficit for the Holy See in 2023 was just over 83 million euros ($92.6 million). The Vatican has been using contributions to Peter's Pence and investment income to cover the deficit.
In his letter to the cardinals, Pope Francis said that the reforms already enacted "laid the groundwork for the implementation of ethical policies to improve the economic performance of existing assets." He stressed that "accompanying this is the requirement that each institution strive to find external resources for its mission, setting an example of transparent and responsible management in the service of the church."
The pope also emphasized the importance of reducing expenses within the Curia, urging it to "set a concrete example" by conducting its work "in a spirit of essentiality, avoiding the superfluous and selecting our priorities well."
"We must be aware that today we are faced with strategic decisions to be taken with great responsibility, because we are called to ensure the future of the mission," he wrote.
Relating the various institutions that comprise the Holy See to families who support each other in times of need, the pope wrote that the "entities that record a surplus should contribute to covering the general deficit."
He said that each of the institutions of the Holy See "form one sole body," and therefore "authentic collaboration and cooperation toward the one goal, the good of the church, represents an essential requirement of our service."
Pope Francis asked the cardinals to "accept this message with courage, (a) spirit of service and to sustain with conviction, loyalty and generosity the ongoing reforms, contributing proactively to the reform process with your knowledge and experience."
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