Pope Francis announced Wednesday a reduction in the salaries of cardinals and prelates to clean up the finances of the Holy See degraded in particular by the health crisis.

"An economically viable future today requires the adoption of measures concerning staff salaries," the Pope wrote.

Pope Francis on Wednesday decided to cut the salaries of cardinals and prelates as part of the efforts to clean up the finances of the Holy See, which the Covid-19 pandemic has helped to degrade.

The cardinals will see their salaries reduced by 10% as of April 1, while the salaries of department heads and dicastery secretaries (ministry in the Vatican, editor's note) will be reduced by 8%, the Pope wrote in an apostolic letter " Motu proprio ".

>> LIVE - Coronavirus: follow the evolution of the situation Wednesday March 24

"An economically viable future requires the adoption of measures"

The salaries of religious located in the lower part of the salary scale of the institutions of the Holy See will be reduced by 3%, specifies the sovereign pontiff.

"An economically viable future today requires, among other decisions, the adoption of measures concerning staff salaries," writes the Pope.

Salary increases due to seniority are also frozen for two years.

Information on the salaries of the Roman Curia is scarce.

In 2014, the daily

Il Messaggero

claimed that the bishops received 5,000 euros per month.

Francis explains his decision by the deficit of the Holy See, the administrative body of the Catholic Church, which has been exacerbated in recent years by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Although the Holy See and Vatican City State are adequately capitalized, there is a need to ensure sustainability and a balance between revenue and expenditure in current economic and financial management,” wrote the Pope.

The Holy See expects a loss of nearly 50 million euros this year, he said last month.

Decrease in donations from the faithful

Donations from the faithful to charity have declined, while the 30 million euros that the Roman Curia usually receives from the Vatican Museums each year has been cut in half.

Salary cuts will not apply if the individual can demonstrate that they cannot meet their health care needs, or those of their loved ones, the letter said.

CORONAVIRUS ESSENTIALS

> Covid-19: is there really a risk of contamination outside?

> Coronavirus: why can a PCR test be positive one month after infection?

> Are private parties really prohibited with the curfew?

> The English variant would cause slightly different symptoms

> Audio, webcams ... When technology adapts to teleworking

Since becoming pope in 2013, Francis has sought to put the finances of the Holy See in order, while trying to increase transparency in the Vatican.

Following a series of Vatican bank scandals and allegations of mismanagement, he created a new finance ministry, brought in an external auditor and bolstered the Vatican's financial watchdog agency.

In 2019, the latest figures published, the Vatican posted a deficit of 11 million euros.