A man and woman have reportedly been fired from their jobs at the Vatican bank because they flouted a ban on marriage between employees.
The young couple, nicknamed “Romeo and Juliet” by the Italian media, got married in August, believing they might be spared as the draconian rule had not begun to be enforced until September. Instead, the newlyweds were given 30 days for one to resign so the other could keep their job.
Neither was willing to do this, and so they were both sacked after the deadline expired on Tuesday, Il Messaggero reported.
The Vatican bank, which has spent much of the past decade cleaning up its books and reputation after an overhaul ignited by several scandals, announced the rule in early June.
The policy, aimed at preventing nepotism, had been in the pipeline for some time but was reportedly applied only after one spouse of the last remaining married couple among the bank’s staff retired.
The rule, which also bars staff from marrying someone employed by another Vatican institution, was made public only after disgruntled employees shared details with the Italian press.
Defending its policy, the bank said in a statement in September that the aim was to “ensure equal treatment”, adding that it was “fundamental for preventing inevitable conflicts of interest of a professional sort among potential spouses, as well as possible doubts about family-related management among its clients and the broader public.”
The Vatican bank has more than €5bn-worth of assets but employs only 100 people in one location.
The newlyweds appealed last month to Pope Francis, who approved the rule, decrying the “unjust” situation in a long letter, according to Il Messaggero. The newspaper reported that the couple could take the case to the Vatican’s court.
ADLV, the association of Vatican lay workers, had intervened on the couple’s behalf, arguing that “the birth of a new family should not be endangered by bureaucratic regulations”.
It is not the first workers’ dispute to embroil the Holy See. In May, dozens of employees at Vatican Museums launched an unprecedented legal dispute over job conditions and workplace safety. They sent a petition to the Vatican’s governorate alleging that the city state’s labour rules “undermine each worker’s dignity and health”, including overtime hours paid at lower rates and insufficient health and safety provisions.
A Vatican bank spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment.
