The Pope raises the alarm: a 'pension reform' is needed immediately in the Vatican

The Pope issues a (new) warning about the Vatican's public accounts and now calls for a real reform of the pensions. "Urgent structural measures are needed, which can no longer be postponed, in order to achieve the sustainability of the Pension Fund, in the more general context of the limited resources available to the entire organisation, and an appropriate social security coverage for present and future employees"; it is a matter of "taking decisions that are not easy and that will require a particular sensitivity, generosity and willingness to sacrifice on the part of everyone," writes Francis in a letter to the College of Cardinals and to the heads of the curial institutions and those connected with the Holy See.

The statement - much stronger and more incisive than the previous ones - comes after 'different studies' showed that 'the current pension management, taking into account the available assets, generates a significant deficit. Unfortunately, the data that now emerges, at the conclusion of the latest in-depth analyses carried out by independent experts, indicates a serious prospective imbalance in the Fund, the size of which tends to increase over time in the absence of interventions": in concrete terms, "this means that the current system is not able to guarantee in the medium term the fulfilment of the pension obligation for future generations," adds Bergoglio, who in recent months has also announced other measures such as the cut for each cardinal in salary by an average of 500-550 euro.

Francis then announced the decision to appoint US Cardinal Kevin Farrell as sole administrator for the pension fund, believing that this choice represents "an essential step to respond to the challenges that our social security system faces in the future". Farrell therefore takes on new and already wide-ranging powers: he is Camerlengo (a position that comes into effect only on the death or resignation of the Pope for the management of the 'sede vacante'), Prefect of the dicastery for the laity and the family, President of the Investment Commission, of the important commission for 'reserved matters' and from January also of the Court of Cassation.

The Pope speaks of the management of the Pension Fund, already a subject of "concern" to successive Pontiffs since its establishment", as an issue that is "particularly close to his heart, since we have to deal with serious and complex problems that risk worsening if not dealt with in a timely manner". The new statement comes after he had already highlighted in his letter of 16 September last the concept of "zero deficit as one of the main objectives to be pursued with determination to ensure economic sustainability", with the consequent cuts and sacrifices.

But in the meantime alarm is rising among the laity employees - over 4,000 in all - who complain, among other things, that they are not aware of the Fund's budget. "The data are not public," reports Ansa from the website of Adlv, the Association of Lay Vatican Employees. "Yet when one contributes to a financial or pension management, since we pay with our contributions, the accounts should be available to everyone. Instead, in the Vatican these aspects are for the benefit of a few'. "Who certifies any liabilities?" the Adlv asks, while "the vast majority of Vatican employees have already tightened their belts".