The more than 3,000 employees who work in the Vatican from now on will have to know a new name: that of the Spanish Luis Herrera Tejedor, appointed this week as the Holy See’s first director of human resources. He is a lawyer, trained at the IE Business School, who was human resources director of the Spanish subsidiary of Yves Saint Laurent or personnel director of the Spanish bank Inversis until 2021. He then worked as an advisor for small and medium-sized companies.
Pope Francis decided, within the framework of the reform of the Roman curia embodied in his new Apostolic Constitution pr aedicate Evangelium , that the Vatican create a human resources department to manage the staff of the Holy See, under the umbrella of the Ministry of Economy, headed by Juan Antonio Guerrero, also a Spaniard. Until then, personnel management depended on the Secretary of State.
Herrera Tejedor has the order not to fire any of the 3,000 workers of the Holy See
Before the norm came into force, Guerrero sent a letter to the heads of the Vatican dicasteries (ministries) to inform them of this change and asking them for suggestions to be more efficient.
“It will be necessary to enhance professionalism and promote mobility, but it will also be necessary to acquire skills from outside, hiring personnel who are aware of what it means to work for the Holy See”, considered the Vatican Minister of Economy, a highly trusted Jesuit of Francis. His right arm, Maximino Caballero, is also Spanish.
The new head of Vatican human resources arrives to apply some changes
The new head of Vatican human resources arrives to apply some changes. Guerrero spoke a few months ago of promoting the professional improvement of employees with a system of evaluation of each one’s work, and even of motivating Vatican workers with a system of rewards that accompany the salary in accordance with this evaluation system.
The employees earn between 1,200 and 3,500 euros per month, except for the prefects of the dicasteries, whose salary increases to 5,000 euros. In addition, the new management must encourage “participation in the mission of the Holy See and the Church” of the employees, for which shared extra-work activities of spirituality will be promoted.
Employees earn between 1,200 and 3,500 euros per month, except for the prefects of the dicasteries, whose salary is 5,000 euros
All this must be promoted by Herrera Tejedor, who has a very clear order: to juggle so as not to fire anyone. This is a challenge due to the known economic problems that the Holy See is going through, which forced the Pope to cut the salary of cardinals and clerics who work in the Vatican last year. The reorganization in economic management is already bearing fruit and in August Guerrero lowered the forecast deficit for this year to 3 million euros compared to the 33 that were planned.