www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall How does one get a job at The Vatican?

You can't tell me everyone who works at The Vatican is either clergy or religious... They must have janitors, secretaries, computer geeks to run the website, etc. I'd clean the Pope's toilet if it meant I could live and work in or near the Vatican! How do you get a job there?

Do you have to already work for a Bishop before he becomes a Cardinal, and then if he gets appointed to a position in The Vatican, he brings his staff with him?

The Vatican website has a page for their Labor office. It's in Italian. I translated some of the documents with Google and it appears to be more like the equivalent of OSHA than the equivalent of a personnel office.

Any insights? I suppose you would also need to know Italian?

Tammy

John Allen has a book called "All the Pope's Men" in which he details how the Vatican operates. In it he mentions many of the details of working there. Basically: the hours are good (like any European job), there are no taxes, but the pay is terrible!

Most people working in the Vatican are clergy or religious, but there is a good number of lay people. Most are Italians, though. I think it is unlikely for an American lay person to get a job there unless they already have a connection with a bishop or Cardinal who is assigned there. Needless to say, they would need to be able to speak at least Italian (and maybe now German ).

That is an understatement. Employees used to be able to buy duty free goods (even gas) in the Vatican, and that helped some.

I guess it must be difficult to get a pay raise working for an organization that believes that money is the root of all evil . . .

Why would they wish more evil on someone?

Alex

The pay is terrible but the benefits, including the death benefits, are spectacular.

And it is, as you all know, the LOVE OF MONEY that is said to be the root of all evil.

So, there is a Vatican Gas Station?



Dave

Like any gov't job it helps to know somebody. Yes, I think that a bishop brings most of his own staff.

Many of the jobs for lay people are Italians - and their descendants. For instance, back when they put in that obelisk in front of St. Peter's, they demanded silence. But the ropes used to put it in its hole started to burn. One man yelled"Water", and quenched the flames. His family today supply the palms for Palm Sunday.

While visiting the St. Peter's a few years ago I was sitting in the pews in back of the altar and looking at men dangeling from ropes dusting the Balchinero that is over the altar. Those people are chosen from certain families too.

I would love to work at the Cong. for the Cause of Saints, or the Sacred Archaeology.

Give Bernard Cardinal Law a call.

And what should he call him?

Gaudior, ducking

Joe and Gaudior:

You are sooo naughty! :p

Amado

djs:

And it comes to mind Elizabeth Taylor's own take about money:

"Money isn't everything; it's the ONLY thing!"

Amado

Working at the Vatican comes with many perks, the most notable being paid for not working. Blessed John XXIII, known for his witty quips, is reported to have answered a question regarding Vatican employees from a news reporter in the following manner:

Reporter: "Your Holiness, how many people work in the Vatican?"

John XXIII: "About half."

I'd like to be put in charge of the Congregation For The Care Of Cats.

Tammy - here's a sure-fire method of getting a job in the Vatican. Join the small monastery of Russian nuns on the Via della Pisana. Once the Vatican realizes that you are from an English speaking country and presumably qualified to do this and that, they will be delighted to have you doing it (I know someone from Saskatchewan who joined that monastery and found herself swamped with Vatican work as a result). The only problem is that you will then need to speak both Russian and Italian.

Incognitus

LOL, I don't think my husband would appreciate that!

Tammy