On the Pope, and a Poor Church

     I have decided that as long as the Pope is going to continue to do interesting things, I am going to continue to comment on his actions. The thing that caught my attention was his policy on Vatican spending in terms of bonuses to its employees. When a new pope is elected, usually Vatican employees receive a bonus for their efforts and in celebration for a new term. However, this time around, the 4000 employees did not receive their 1500 euro bonus. For this cut, he claimed that their was no need to stress the balances of Vatican in these strenuous economic times.
     Similarly, the Pope has made bonus cuts to the five cardinals who supervise the Vatican Bank. These cardinals receive the same paychecks as all other bishops, but on top of that they were receiving monthly bonuses of 2100 euros. Pope Francis has cancelled these bonuses. The money is going to a variety of papal charities.
     All of these actions fall in line with Pope Francis's desire to make the Church a Poor Church; to humble it. Many criticisms have been made against the amount and the methods of handling the Church has in regards to its bank account. However, Pope Francis knows how to help the Church identify with the poor, starting with its leadership. The cardinals who supervise the bank should not be doing it for the bonuses to their paycheck; they should be doing their job to help the Church which they have devoted their lives to. Because of this, taking away their bonuses will help them prioritize this goal.
     The leadership of the Church should live the most humbly of all. The apostles lived in poverty, both spiritual and financial. They were essentially living off the goodness of others. If the idea of apostolic succession should hold true, then the bishops who stepped in to fill the roles of the apostles should live in humility. The bishops of today should follow suit as well.
     My final comment will be on Pope Francis's own lifestyle. He practices what he preaches. He has refused the Papal rooms that are usually used by the Popes. Instead he uses the Vatican guesthouse. He lives humbly and treats all of those around him with respect and dignity. He devoted his name to Francis in order to show his care for the poor. So far his entire reign as Pope has been filled with somewhat unexpected acts of humility. He is the perfect man to lead the Church towards Christ-like humility. (Perfect other than Christ himself of course.)