Vatican workers say pay cuts for cardinals nothing to celebrate

ROME – When news recently made the rounds that Pope Francis was once again cutting the pay of cardinals in the Vatican, it was probably difficult for most people to generate a great deal of sympathy. After all, over the centuries these Princes of the Church have been synonymous with power, privilege and luxury.

Yet an association representing the opposite end of the spectrum in the Vatican from cardinals – the rank-and-file laity in the workforce, not the clerical pinnacle – is warning that these cuts are nothing to celebrate.