Pope Leo has dissolved a high-level Catholic commission set up to encourage donations to the Vatican, the Vatican said on Thursday, reversing one of the final decisions made by his predecessor Francis.
Francis formed the Holy See Donations Committee in February, when the late Pope was being treated in hospital for his final illness, to help stem the growing deficit in the Vatican’s finances.
The group, aimed at encouraging donations from lay Catholics, bishops’ conferences and other donors, was made up of five Italian church officials, leading some church members to question whether they had the knowledge to raise money.
Liao dissolved the group by decree dated September 29, but issued on Thursday. He did not give the reasons for his decision.
The Pope ordered that all funds already raised by the committee be handed over to the Vatican’s general accounting office and said a new working group would be formed to consider the formation of a future fundraising committee.
The Vatican reported its first budget surplus last month, after years of deficits that had long frustrated church leaders.
Francis, who died in April, had long struggled to keep the Vatican budget under control.
He was facing strong resistance from the cardinals in his final months while trying to fill the Vatican’s financial deficit, and he reduced the cardinals’ salaries three times between 2021 and 2024.