Marking his 71st birthday on Monday, September 14, Pope Leo XIV issued a papal decree reversing the 2021 pandemic-era salary cuts originally instituted by Pope Francis to address the Holy See’s financial crisis.
The newly published document officially ends the pay restrictions imposed on Vatican personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the initial cost-saving measures, cardinals faced a 10% salary reduction, while department heads, priests, and nuns saw smaller pay cuts, and senior lay staff had their biennial raises frozen.
At the time, Pope Francis defended the cuts to avoid layoffs amidst a €70 million structural deficit, a €1 billion pension shortfall, and sharp revenue losses caused by the temporary closure of the Vatican Museums.
In the decree, Pope Leo XIV explained that the previous financial restrictions are no longer necessary.
”can now be overcome, in the certainty that the institutions of the Holy See and the Vatican City State will continue, through various means, their commitment to ensuring economic sustainability.”
The pontiff, a former Augustinian superior general with a background in mathematics, has frequently adjusted or overturned his predecessor’s administrative policies since taking office.
In a separate decree released the same day, Pope Leo XIV canceled plans to transfer portions of the Vatican’s secret archives and library holdings to a university outside the Vatican walls.
Rejecting the off-site move, he ordered the construction of a new facility on an existing Vatican City parking lot to accommodate the growing collection of historic manuscripts and papal records, noting that “unprecedented opportunities have arisen to create new spaces” within the city-state’s borders.
Pope Leo XIV marked his birthday by visiting the Vatican Apostolic Library to open a new five-year exhibition cycle titled “Catastrophe and Marvel,” featuring a facade installation by French artist JR.
During his visit, the pope shared a personal connection with the staff.
”I’d just like to say that God, in His providence — and sometimes with a touch of humor — always reminds us that he is with us,” Leo told the staff. “Many of you may not know that my mother was a librarian, and today I’m here on my birthday specifically to say hello to all of you.”