Pope ends free rent for Vatican prelates
March 01, 2023
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CWN Editor's Note: Pope Francis has ordered an end to rent agreements that have given Vatican officials free or subsidized use of Vatican-owned residential properties.
The Pontiff called for all rental properties to be leased at market rates. The new policy is needed, he said, “for everyone to make an extraordinary sacrifice to allocate more resources to the mission of the Holy See, also by increasing revenue from the management of the real estate patrimony.”
The new policy does not apply to rental agreements that are already in effect, but all renewals of existing leases must be made at market rates—except with the explicit permission of the Pope himself.
The belt-tightening measure comes alongside the Pope’s order to cut back salaries for Vatican employees: a move that he explained was made necessary by persistent Vatican budget deficits.
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