Father, Son, Holy Spirit, and Big Brother

God may be watching over the Vatican's workers, but that's apparently not enough for the Pope, so he's enlisted some help to keep an eye on them.

For the first time in nearly fifty years, the Vatican will require administration staff to clock in and out of work, according to Bloomberg. At the start of the new year, all employees will be given magnetic badges to record when they come and go.

"We can't afford any waste,'' Bishop Renato Boccardo, secretary of the Governatorate of Vatican City State, told La Stampa newspaper. "There is a lot of work that needs doing, and the financial situation doesn't allow us to hire more staff.''

In addition, the Holy See has devised a new system of rewards and punishments for its 2,748-person staff. Prolonged absences will lead to pay cuts, while "virtuous employees can benefit from bonuses," Bloomberg reports.

The Vatican pays for its operations from its investments in securities and real estate, in addition to contributions from its members. All of those revenue streams are currently at risk in this global economic downturn.

According to Bloomberg, the Vatican swung to a deficit in 2007. The combined surplus for the past three years was $19.4 million.

It's not surprising the Vatican has taken measures to rein in slackers. What's more surprising is that there were evidently so many priests skipping work that it was necessary in the first place. Whatever happened to Catholic guilt?

by Megan Barnett