Pope Francis established a new regulation for the Vatican employees. The San Pedro Factory must profess the Catholic faith and wear decent and appropriate clothing, so they cannot have tattoos or piercings.
The Office of the Holy See has published the Chirograph of Pope Francis on the Statute and Regulations of the Chapter of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, with which he determines new rules for the St. Peter’s Factory staff. This entity deals with everything related to St. Peter’s Basilica.
All employees must comply with it, including the so-called ” sampietrini “, those responsible for the Vatican Basilica’s reception, surveillance, cleaning and maintenance.
The document, published last Saturday, June 29, establishes that they must “take care of their external appearance following the requirements and customs of the work environment.”
For this reason, the Holy Father has determined that “visible tattoos on the skin and piercings are prohibited.” Likewise, they must “wear decent clothing appropriate to the activity they are going to perform.”
It will also be mandatory to “profess the Catholic faith and live according to its principles,” as well as to prove that they are married in the Church by presenting a “canonical marriage certificate,” the Baptism and Confirmation certificate, and to prove that they do not have a criminal record.
The Chirograph also indicates that the Factory’s staff “commits to observing exemplary religious and moral conduct, including in their private and family life, by the Doctrine of the Church.”
“Personnel are required to behave politely while on duty, respectful of the sacred site and politely towards others and the environment,” the document reads.
Furthermore, Article 10 establishes that staff are obliged to strictly observe confidentiality and may not “provide to anyone who is not entitled to do so, information about acts or news that they have become aware of because of their work or service.”
“Special care will also be taken to ensure observance of the pontifical secret, by current regulations.”
Likewise, without prior authorization from the president, “no one may issue statements or conduct interviews, not even through digital tools and platforms, relating to the people, activities, environments and orientations of the Factory.”