Since taking over the position, Pope Francis has preached messages of piety, humbleness, and equality. He has taken an active approach to not just promoting equality for the gay community but also of reaching out to the poor. Therefore, it seems quite understandable why Pope Francis is reportedly furious over the luxury retirement residence given to top Vatican official, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.
While Pope Francis has been emphasizing to his clergy almost weekly to live lives that are as humble and modest as his own, the renovation of Bertone’s retirement home has been occurring since at least April. Bertone stepped down from his position as the Vatican’s secretary of state last October. There had been many rumors and reports since April about the project, but it was first confirmed for the public just last week, when Chi, an Italian gossip magazine, published a photograph of the construction being done on top of the Palazzo San Carlo, where Bertone’s residence will be.
Bertone has acknowledged that his new home is rather large but also states that it is normal for flats in the older Vatican buildings to be bigger. He also said that the supposed estimate for the size of his residence, 700 square meters, or over 7,500 square feet, is double the actual number. Even if Bertone’s flat is only 350 square meters, it will still be five times the size of the pope’s residence, which is a one bedroom suite in Casa Santa Marta.
Before Pope Francis was appointed pope, it was typical for senior officials of the Catholic Church to retire in more expensive and luxurious homes. However, with the new pope’s emphasis on equality for all and the importance of living simply and frugally, it appears that will no longer be the case.
According to the daily La Repubblica, in a sermon given by Pope Francis around Easter, the pope spoke out against “unctuous, sumptuous, presumptuous” clerics who instead should be purging themselves of purely human and material pleasures and focusing on the more spiritual rewards of life. This report directly contradicts with what Bertone has had to say about the matter. The retired cardinal has said that he received an “affectionate telephone call” from the pope just two days after the first report was made public and that Pope Francis had demonstrated “solidarity and disappointment at the attacks directed at me over the apartment”.
When asked for a statement on the ongoing story, the pope’s spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, told reporters, “I have nothing to say.”
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