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Pope Leo XIV celebrated his 71st birthday on Monday by giving Vatican employees a financial boost, repealing salary cuts introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic by his predecessor, Pope Francis.
The Vatican published a decree ending the measures Francis ordered in 2021 as the Holy See faced a sharp drop in revenue and mounting financial pressures. The cuts included a 10% reduction in salaries for cardinals, 8% for department superiors and 3% for clergy and nuns. Salary increases for some senior lay employees were also suspended.
Francis introduced the measures in an effort to protect jobs while the Vatican dealt with a structural deficit estimated at around €70 million and a pension fund shortfall of about €1 billion. The closure of the Vatican Museums during the pandemic further reduced one of the Holy See's major sources of income, while investment and currency fluctuations added to the financial strain.
In his new decree, Leo said the restrictions "can now be overcome," while stressing that the Holy See and Vatican City State would continue working toward economic sustainability through other means.
The decision is one of several instances in which Leo has revisited financial and administrative choices made during Francis' papacy. The new pontiff has demonstrated an interest in the Vatican's finances since his election.
Leo also issued a second decree on Monday concerning the Vatican Apostolic Archive and Vatican Apostolic Library. He cancelled Francis' plan to move some of their collections to a pontifical university elsewhere in Rome and instead ordered the construction of a new building within Vatican City.
Francis had backed the relocation because the collections had outgrown their existing storage facilities, including a large underground bunker. Leo said "unprecedented opportunities have arisen to create new spaces" inside the city state and ordered a new structure on an existing parking lot.
The facility will accommodate ancient manuscripts and archival collections connected to previous popes, religious congregations and benefactors.
Leo visited the library on his birthday to inaugurate an exhibition focused on water. During the visit, he also revealed a personal connection to the institution, noting that his mother had been a librarian.
"Many of you may not know that my mother was a librarian," Leo told staff, adding that he had come on his birthday specifically to greet them.
