Pope Francis has ordered the elimination of free or economic rent from houses belonging to the Holy See to cardinals, bishops and other senior leaders in the Vatican, various media reported today.
The pope’s decision came at the end of an audience with the new prefect of the Vatican’s Secretariat for the Economy, Spaniard Maximino Caballero, on Feb.
On this occasion Francis asked “that more resources be allocated and reserved for the Apostolic See, also increasing the income from the management of real estate assets”, reads the document published by the Messainlatino.it portal.
The Pope thus decided “to suppress free and advantageous accommodation for cardinals, heads of departments, presidents, secretaries, undersecretaries, executives, auditors and others, from the Tribunal of Rome Rota, from buildings belonging to curial institutions and from bodies belonging to the Holy See” , underlines the document.
“The bodies that own (real estate) must apply to the aforementioned subjects the same prices applicable to those who do not own property in the Holy See or in the Vatican City State,” according to the document.
This also specifies the need to pay, according to existing tariffs, accommodation in the “Domus Santa Marta”, the residence inside the Vatican where the Pope lives and that many prelates, but also visitors, sometimes use as a hotel without charge. pay.
The document states that the contracts currently stipulated will continue until their end and then the new rents will be applied.
Likewise, the Pope has established that any amendment to this regulation must be authorized directly by him.
Also in the document, the Pope eliminates “housing contributions”, supplements that are paid to meet income.
The Holy See’s real estate assets managed by APSA in Italy consist of 4,051 properties in the country and around 1,120 abroad, not including its embassies.
In Italy, the Vatican owns approximately 1.6 million square meters and only 15 percent is destined for the free market, 30% of which has subsidized rents for employees, pensioners and other forms of assistance and the remaining 55% for institutional or on a free loan basis, such as for schools or universities.
*With Lusa
