VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Before leaving for his first apostolic trip to Turkey and Lebanon in November, Pope Leo XIV issued reforms to the Vatican’s labor laws. Both recognize the rapid changes in the makeup of the Catholic Church’s workforce and hope to bring the church’s employment practices into the 21st century.
The Rules for the Personnel of the Roman Curia, published Nov. 24, streamlined hiring procedures, set basic requirements for employees and spelled out anti-nepotism rules, all meant to accommodate a growing number of lay people in the ranks of the Curia, as the Vatican bureaucracy is known.
Working at the Vatican used to be considered an honor reserved mostly for clergy, but rising secularization and financial strain have made the work of a curial officer a less appetizing option. Working in the Curia offers certain advantages, such as tax exemptions and access to the Vatican’s grocery store and pharmacy, whose prices are generally lower than in Roman stores. But the Vatican has lagged behind Italy in providing attractive salaries and benefits.
Not only are lay people not incentivized to work at the Vatican, but few are trained, or inclined, to buy into the nonprofit mission of the Catholic city-state.
“If you have been a company manager and come …