Frugal pope nixes bonus for Vatican employees

In this photo provided by the Vatican paper L’Osservatore Romano and made available Thursday, April 18, 2013, Mons. Miguel Delgado Galindo, left, presents a jersey of Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi to Pope Francis, at the Vatican Wednesday, April 17, 2013. (AP Photo/L’Osservatore Romano, ho)

VATICAN CITY—The global economic crisis is hitting Vatican employees in their cassock pockets.

The Vatican said Thursday that Pope Francis, known for his frugal ways, decided Vatican employees won’t be getting the bonus that traditionally comes with the election of a new pope.

In the past, the Vatican’s 4,500-plus workers — both religious and lay — would receive an extra little something upon the death of one pope and another upon the election of his successor: In 2005, the total reportedly came to 1,500 euros (nearly $2,000) apiece.

Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said that given tough economic times — the Vatican posted a 15 million-euro deficit in 2011 — “it didn’t seem possible or appropriate to burden the Vatican’s budget with a considerable, unforeseen extra expense.”