Ailing Pope Francis Battling Cardinals Over Ballooning Vatican Financial Deficit - On His 13th Day in the Hospital, Pontiff Launches ‘Commission on Donations for the Holy See’

If we thought that the situation surrounding Pope Francis hospitalization for double pneumonia with a bout of kidney failure was dramatic, we actually didn’t know the half of it.

It arises today that in the days that preceded his hospitalization for double pneumonia, Pope Francis was engaged in a fierce battle against some of his own top cardinals.

Francis was experiencing firm resistance from them regarding ways to plug a widening hole in the Vatican’s finances.

Reuters reported:

In late 2024, Vatican department chiefs and senior cardinals insisted on opposing spending cuts and specially against the Pope’s plan to seek outside funding to fix the deficit.

Francis has tried to fix the budget for years. He has cut the cardinals’ salaries three times since 2021, and ordered a ‘zero deficit’ agenda.

While the Vatican has operated with a deficit for years.

But add to that the whole different problem of the growing liabilities within the mismanaged Vatican’s pension fund.

The pope has recently suggested to seek outside funding to balance expenses and avoid staffing cuts. But multiple cardinals questioned the move, saying it could ‘trigger conflicts of interest for the Church’.

The fear is that donors can stop sending money if they understand it is being used for pension liabilities rather than the Church’s charitable work.