Pope Francis orders cardinals to rent houses

Pope Francis, the spiritual leader of Christians, has issued new orders to reduce the costs of the Vatican, the center of Roman Catholic Christianity, under which cardinals will now also have to pay rent for their homes.

In this regard, the head of the Vatican Finance Ministry, Maximino Caballero Lido, has said in a note that Pope Francis has ordered other high officials there to end the discount or subsidy for renting houses.

In his note, also known as the Rescriptum, Maximino Caballero stated that the pope had decided to give the authorities “a An extraordinary sacrifice will have to be made.”

Previously, cardinals living in Rome and the Vatican only had to pay bills for utilities, such as electricity and water, while bishops and Vatican managers were paying lower or subsidized rents for their homes.

Vatican-owned apartments will now have to be rented out to members of the church at the same rate as others, under new papal orders.

This is not the first time that Pope Francis has issued orders to reduce spending. Two years ago, he ordered a 10 percent cut in cardinals’ salaries and cuts to Vatican-affiliated staff to avoid layoffs. One of the reasons for this decision was the impact of Covid-19 on the income of the Holy See, the Vatican’s diplomatic agency.