Pope Francis asks cardinals to achieve ‘zero deficit’ in the Catholic Church

Pope Francis celebrates Mass in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta on May 1, 2020, the feast of St. Joseph the Worker. / Credit: Vatican Media

Madrid, Spain, Sep 20, 2024 / 13:35 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis has called on cardinals to work to achieve the goal of “zero deficit” in the economy of the Catholic Church through cost reduction, the search for external resources, and evangelical generosity.

In a Sept. 16 letter released Friday by the Vatican Press Office, Pope Francis recalled that 10 years ago the reform of the Roman Curia began in the spirit of the principle “Ecclesia semper reformanda” (“the Church always reforming”). During this time, he pointed out, “despite the difficulties and, sometimes, that temptation of immobility and inflexibility in the face of change, many results have been accomplished in these years.”

Focused on the economic reform of the Holy See — “one of the topics that has most characterized the general congregations prior to the conclave,” he pointed out — Pope Francis said “an extra effort is now required from everyone so that a ‘zero deficit’ is not just a theoretical goal but an actually achievable objective.” 

This objective is based on the awareness that “the economic resources at the service of the mission are limited and must be managed with rigor and seriousness so that the efforts of those who have contributed to the patrimony of the Holy See are not wasted.” 

Along with the objective of not going into debt, the pontiff pointed out “the need for each institution to strive to find external resources for its mission, setting an example of transparent and responsible management in the service of the Church.”

In addition, Pope Francis called for setting an example on the cost reduction front by trying to avoid “the superfluous” and selecting priorities well, “favoring mutual collaboration and synergies.”

“We must be aware that today we are faced with strategic decisions that we must take with great responsibility, because we are called upon to guarantee the future of the mission,” the Holy Father indicated.

Learn from family solidarity

To achieve the goal of better resource management, Pope Francis pointed out that “the institutions of the Holy See have much to learn from the solidarity of good families” that help one another. Thus, “bodies with a surplus should contribute to covering the general deficit. This means taking care of the good of our communities, acting with generosity, in the Gospel sense of the word, as an indispensable precondition for asking for generosity from outside.”

Finally, the pope asked the cardinals to welcome “this message with courage and a spirit of service” and called for support for these reforms “with conviction, loyalty, and generosity, contributing actively with your knowledge and experience.”

“Each one of the institutions of the Holy See forms with all the others a single body: Therefore, authentic collaboration and cooperation toward the sole objective, the good of the Church, represents an essential prerequisite of our service,” Pope Francis concluded.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.