In a gesture of support for the family, Pope Francis has decided to give employees of the Governorate of Vatican City State with three or more children a monthly bonus of 300 euros.
This personal initiative of the Holy Father in favor of large families came into force on January 1 and contemplates the delivery of said sum until the child turns 18 years of age or finishes the ordinary cycle of studies.
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Likewise, the Pontiff has ordered the extension of parental leave, which goes from three days to five, a measure that will also apply to adoptive parents.
As reported by the Vatican Governorate, Pope Francis conveyed his decision to Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, president of the institution, and Sister Raffaella Petrini, general secretary, during an audience on December 19.
“Have children!”
On numerous occasions Pope Francis has shown his concern about the low birth rate in Europe, especially in Italy, and lamented that on many occasions “dogs take the place of children.”
“Have children!” exclaimed the Holy Father during the Angelus on October 6, encouraging spouses to be open to life.
During her speech at the first edition of the “General Statutes of Birth” held in May 2021, she highlighted the importance of the family and regretted when at work some women “are discouraged from having children.”
At this same event in 2023, Pope Francis asked governments for policies to end the “demographic winter” and increase the birth rate in Europe.
Almudena Martínez-Bordiú
I am a graduate in Journalism and Advertising from the CEU San Pablo University in Madrid. Specialized in religious information in Spain since 2015. I have been a senior correspondent for ACI Prensa and EWTN Noticias in the Vatican for two years and I am currently a European correspondent based in Spain.