Pope Francis’ letter to the College of Cardinals asking for “more effort” to implement the Holy See’s economic reform: “We need to give a concrete example so that our service is carried out in a spirit of essentialism, avoiding excess and choosing our priorities well, promoting mutual cooperation and synergy.”
His Holiness Pope Francis addressed a letter to the College of Cardinals in which he wrote: Ten years ago, we began the reform of the Roman Curia, and with the Apostolic Constitution “Predicate Evangelium”, the new organization of the Holy See was established, defining its guiding principles and objectives. The Church is ever reforming: this is the spirit that animated the reform, in order to ensure that the Roman Curia assists the Successor of Peter in the exercise of his sublime pastoral ministry for the good and service of the universal Church and the particular Churches.
Pope Francis continued, saying: If this renewal represents a vital witness and a grace, we know the dedication and efforts of women and men who are committed to adapting to this movement of renewal. You, brother Cardinals, in the mission of assisting the Roman Pontiff in the governance of the universal Church, have the task of accompanying those who have taken part in this process of transformation.
Despite the difficulties and, at times, the experience of stagnation and rigidity in the face of change, many results have been achieved in recent years. I thank you for the help you have given and continue to give. With these introductions, I now want in particular to take up once again one of the themes that characterized the General Assemblies before the Conclave: the economic reform of the Holy See. Recent years have shown that the requests for reform urged in the past by many preachers in the College of Cardinals were far-sighted and have allowed us to gain a greater awareness of the fact that 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 legacy of the Holy See are not in vain.
For these reasons, the Pontiff continued, it is now necessary for everyone to make greater efforts so that “zero deficit” becomes not just a theoretical goal, but one that can be achieved in practice. The Reformation has laid the foundations for implementing ethical policies that allow for improving the economic performance of the existing legacy. This is accompanied by the need for each institution to seek external resources for its mission, setting itself as an example of transparent and responsible management at the service of the Church.
The Holy Father added: “With regard to reducing costs, we need to give a concrete example so that our service is carried out in a spirit of essentialism, avoiding excess and choosing our priorities well, promoting mutual cooperation and synergy. We must realize that today we are faced with strategic decisions that must be taken with great responsibility, because we are called to guarantee the future of the mission.”
The Holy See’s institutions have much to learn from the solidarity of good families, the Pontiff continued. Just as those in these families who are economically well off take the initiative to help their most needy members, so too organizations that record a surplus must contribute to covering the general deficit. This means caring for the good of our community, working generously, in the evangelical sense of the word, as an indispensable condition for asking for generosity also from outside.
In conclusion, Pope Francis concluded by saying: I ask you to accept this message with courage and a spirit of service and to support the ongoing reforms with conviction, sincerity and generosity, and to contribute proactively with your knowledge and experience to the reform process. Each institution of the Holy See forms a single body with all the others: therefore, true collaboration and cooperation towards the single goal, the good of the Church, is an essential requirement of our service. In this spirit and with this awareness I ask you to accompany our work with fidelity and trust.
