Chicago archdiocese to eliminate 75 jobs

The Archdiocese of Chicago says it’s cutting 75 jobs and closing or consolidating five schools.

Cardinal Francis George made the announcement Wednesday in a letter on the Roman Catholic archdiocese’s website. He says 60 layoffs along with the decision not to fill 15 vacant jobs will save as much as $13 million a year by 2015. He says eliminating the jobs is necessary because administrative operations have run at deficits of more than $30 million in each of the last four years. The cardinal says the deficits have nothing to do with any payments related to priest misconduct.

George is in Rome with other cardinals to select a new pope after Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to step down.