How much bishops, archbishops and priests earn are many, faithful and non-faithful, who ask. The economic aspect – beyond the individual salaries – has always characterized the great religions, which have always been a money machine. Over the last few centuries, religious choices have conditioned the values and behaviors of millions of people, and influenced the production of wealth and the spread of well-being in many areas of the world. A symbiotic relationship, the one between faith and economics, also illustrated by Rachel McCleary and Robert J.
Barro, lecturers at Harvard University and authors of the essay La Wealth of religions, The economy of faith and churches (Egea, Egea – Bocconi Editori).
THE CHURCH’S SALARY, HOW THEY ARE CALCULATED
In the ecclesiastical world there are roles, responsibilities and hierarchies as in any other business sector. The position, the seniority gained in the role and the prestige gained in the hierarchical ladder also determine the compensation that the clergyman in question will be able to receive, calculated in a precise manner. The system devised by the Vatican is based on a sort of score, so to speak, which in fact corresponds to the seniority of the prelate under consideration. These and other factors define the average salary of each religious and their earnings. However, it is obvious that popular curiosity mainly concerns the Pope Bergoglio it has always preached sobriety, inviting not only to savings but above all to transparent management of accounts, so as to be able to counteract the irregular work of a few. Let’s start with him.
HOW MUCH THE POPE EARNS
As soon as he took office, Pope Francis gave up a fixed salary. A symbolic gesture signals a change of course, hoping that the high ecclesiastical hierarchies will follow his example. Before him, Pope Ratzinger received 2,500 euros in monthly payments. Although he does not receive a salary, however, Pope Francis still has the possibility of freely drawing on the Pence of St. Peter, or a fund at the IOR, which collects donations in order to sponsor the planned charitable projects of the Church (in 2012 the share was about 65 million euros).
HOW MUCH A PRIEST EARNS
The call is certainly a gift, but the priesthood is a profession, albeit loaded with religious and charitable meanings. And as such it generates income. A priest can count on a fixed salary of around 1,000 to 1,200 euros per month for parish priests who have more responsibilities. Of course, even priests can make a career and aspire to the post of bishop, archbishop, cardinal and monsignor.
HOW MUCH SISTERS AND FRIARS EARN
For the nuns there is no real salary unless they carry out specific tasks and work within the ecclesiastical community. There are, for example, nuns who receive a fixed monthly income because they are employed as teachers, educators, nurses or other. In this case, the amount of the salary is established by national contract according to the relevant job category. A bit like the nuns, also i friars have no salary. For them there is the vow of poverty, chastity and obedience that every friar must make before entering the order or religious institute. Jesuits, Franciscans, Dominicans, Carmelites live in convents constituted as communities or families in all respects and their livelihood largely depends on donations from the faithful.
For the nuns there is no real salary unless they carry out specific tasks and work within the ecclesiastical community. There are, for example, nuns who receive a fixed monthly income because they are employed as teachers, educators, nurses or other. In this case, the amount of the salary is established by national contract according to the relevant job category. A bit like the nuns, also i friars have no salary. For them there is the vow of poverty, chastity and obedience that every friar must make before entering the order or religious institute. Jesuits, Franciscans, Dominicans, Carmelites live in convents constituted as communities or families in all respects and their livelihood largely depends on donations from the faithful.
HOW MUCH CARIDNALI AND BISHOPS EARN
There is a maximum ceiling that cannot be exceeded and, as far as the world of bishops is concerned, this is set at around 3,000 euros. If the share is accompanied by other income, the result of work assignments or income of any kind, the Institute will have to pay only the missing share upon reaching the age limit. Higher up are the archbishops, heads of departments or pontifical councils. For them the threshold rises significantly, reaching salaries that from 3 thousand euros can reach 5 thousand euros for cardinals. The sums can further increase thanks to any offers received.
WHAT CHANGES WITH THE REFORM OF POPE FRANCIS
Even the Vatican it is not free from crisis and the pope has decided to contain expenses, intervening according to criteria of proportionality and progressiveness with some adjustments concerning the salaries of clerics, religious and the higher levels. The Motu with which Pope Francis has decided to cut the salaries of all personnel proportionally and indefinitely are divided as follows: cardinals (10 per cent), heads of departments and secretaries (8%), and all priests, men and women religious serving at the Holy See (3 per cent). In addition, all employees will see the seniority step blocked until 2023 (except lay employees from the first to the third level).
The papal decision was motivated, we read in the Motu, the apostolic letter, by the “deficit that for several years has characterized the economic management of the Holy See” and, above all, by the situation created by the pandemic, “which negatively affected on all sources of income from the Holy See and the Vatican City State ».
WHO PAYS THE CHURCH’S SALARY
The salaries of priests and priests are fundamentally covered by three institutions: donations, which cover 10% of the financial needs of priests; from income other than religious for other reasons (for example religion teachers in schools) and 8 per thousand of taxpayers.

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